


Flesh and Bone

by blue_sweater



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Morgan wouldn't either, Omega Verse, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, alpha!Morgan, drug references, dw baby I got ur flower, not like I'd let anything happen to my baby boy, omega!Reid, possible almost-sexual assault trigger warnings maybe?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-10
Updated: 2013-08-26
Packaged: 2017-12-23 01:05:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/920172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_sweater/pseuds/blue_sweater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Having suppressed his gender after being disillusioned by his experiences with alphas, Spencer has lived his life as an asexual, managing to train himself to not react to any urges he might have had. That is, until his Dilaudid addiction causes an adverse affect - something that Reid never thought he would experience. Morgan checks up on Reid to make sure he's alright and finds him in a bit of a sticky situation...<br/>Hilarity ensues! Sex as well! Emotions of all kinds!<br/>(do I have to tag s3 spoilers... I'm just assuming everyone has seen s3. not even spoiling much, hey...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I have wanted to do an alpha/omega story for a while and I thought this baby up. The title and quotes are taken from Keaton Henson's "Flesh and Bone". Hope you enjoy :)

_I am alone, so don’t speak_  
 _I find war, and I find peace_  
 _Find no heat, no love in me_

Growing up was difficult. Of course, it’s difficult for everyone – that stage of life is the most awkward, the most uncertain, the most emotionally tiresome, physically astounding and generally most overwhelming. It is the most awful few years to be something other than normal, something outside of the box.

Being as smart as he was had so many negative consequences all on its own, that his gender didn’t really enter into the situation. Spencer had graduated high school before his body had developed enough to know, and by the time he did present he was already accustomed to being bullied and beaten and ostracised. Being an omega didn’t make it any better or worse, really. It was just another one of those things.

It was actually good that he was so far ahead of his age group, in that regard. It meant that the older kids had already been through accepting each other and dealing with their own genders, so there were distinct groups and cliques who were kinder to Spencer. He wouldn’t go as far as to say that they were friends, but they were certainly more understanding of him. For all the wrong reasons, and they didn’t really understand him at all, but the sentiment was nice.

It became a little more difficult at college, where the other students weren’t accustomed to him. In theory, people are supposed to be more accepting at college – friendly and fairly intelligent and from all walks of life. However, more than one occasion saw Spencer employing capsicum spray against an alpha college boy who’d drunk too much.

He did report the first few assaults to campus security, but after he realised that it was almost completely ineffective and far too difficult to prove without actually having been raped, he didn’t bother. He lost count of how many times he’d been approached and propositioned by an arrogant alpha male – even female on a few occasions. Sometimes they didn’t even bother to ask before placing their hands on him.

College was not the best experience for Spencer Reid. It had mostly stopped by the time he was a PhD student, for which he was grateful. But what college had done to him was difficult to undo – it had disillusioned him from the fantasy of finding a partner, of having an alpha to protect him, of having a reaction to alphas at all. His behaviour became so blatantly asexual he stopped being approached almost altogether. He had repressed his omega mentality and physiology to the point at which he was barely compatible with anyone. He realised that he didn’t need an alpha partner to be safe or to be happy – he could do perfectly well without.

Working with the BAU was fine for Spencer. He was well aware that both Agents Hotchner and Morgan were alphas, and was unfazed by that. Neither of them had ever acted out of accordance with FBI codes of conduct, or out of social lines for that matter, and Spencer trusted them both fully as team members. Morgan often made crude remarks and Hotchner occasionally made a joke in his own dry way, but Spencer knew they meant no harm.

As far as the team knew, Spencer was physically an omega but generally neutral when it came to any sort of sexual relationships. He’d had a few interactions – not really worth calling relationships – but most of his interests in partners stemmed from an intellectual admiration and mutual respect, never out of emotion or physical attraction. The closest thing he’d ever had was a young man from the bookshop who had asked Spencer on a date, which he had gone on. It didn’t lead anywhere, but it was an interesting experience.

The only time Reid’s gender became a problem was after he was taken hostage by Tobias Hankel. Strictly speaking, the man hadn’t sexually abused him. But the Dilaudid had an adverse affect on Reid – not only did it severely affect his cognitive abilities, but it also caused something that Spencer hadn’t experienced for a very long time. Since puberty, to be specific.

A smaller dose of Dilaudid caused Spencer to get wet. And it was not entirely unpleasant.

It was not a common reaction, but it was known to happen. There had been a few documented cases but it was quite a low chance – 0.002 of a percent. Of course, that didn’t take into account the number of the population that were omegas, so it was more like 2 percent chance. Either way, it wasn’t likely.

He didn’t tell Hotch or Gideon why he had such a dependence on the drug when they realised what was happening. They assumed it was a simple drug addiction – they didn’t know it was so emotionally and physically involved.

And the other side effect of Dilaudid was that it didn’t just cause Spencer to experience certain bodily functions – it also caused the onset of another physical experience Spencer hadn’t ever had.

He went into heat.


	2. Low

_And I am low and unwell_  
 _This is love, this is hell_  
 _This sweet plague that follows me_

The morning he woke up drenched in sweat and shivering, it took him more than a few moments to gain composure. He felt strange. Very strange. His body was unusually sensitive – the sheets felt different against his skin and when he ran a hand through his hair it made him shiver, sending tingles down his spine.

Spencer swung his legs off the side of the bed, intending to do what he always did and ignore the problem. He stood and collapsed almost immediately, his hand flying out to grasp the bedside table, steadying himself on shaking legs.

He took a shuddering breath and felt his pulse in a place he had never felt it before. And it was incredibly hard to ignore.

Spencer kept one hand on the wall as he made his way to the study to start the computer and figure out what was happening. He had an inkling but he hoped he was wrong, and he spent a good half hour searching for an alternative reason for his physical state, but there was none. There was nothing else it could be but a heat.

This didn’t make sense to Spencer. Omegas go into heat when they first meet a compatible alpha – not necessarily their soul mate, but any alpha that stirs a certain longing. Not surprisingly, Reid had never met an alpha he liked that much, and as a result he’d never had a heat.

Not knowing what else to do, and not having anyone else to rely on, he called Gideon.

“ _Good morning_.”

“Gideon,” Spencer began, having to swallow his nervousness, voice tight and unsteady, more than usual. “I – I know we were supposed to have that meeting at nine this morning –”

“ _This better not be a withdrawal, Reid. We have to go over those reports._ ”

“I – yes, I’m aware of that. But I – I don’t think I’ll be able to make it today. Something – something’s come up.”

There was a moment of silence before Gideon spoke. “ _Is everything okay, Spencer?_ ”

“What? Yeah, absolutely – everything’s fine.” Spencer’s lie was blatant and in this state he knew he wasn’t convincing at all.

“ _If everything is fine, why can’t you come in?_ ”

“I’m feeling a bit – out of sorts,” said Reid hesitantly.

“ _Do I need to send someone to check on you?_ ”

“Absolutely definitely not,” Reid said, clearing his throat. “I’m sure with my absence, you couldn’t afford to send another team member away from the round table room. I promise I’ll be in perfect shape tomorrow, but today – I can’t make it. I’m sorry, Gideon.”

“ _If you’re not okay and lying to me, or if I even suspect something isn’t quite right, I’m gonna send someone over straight away. Got it?_ ”

“Totally unnecessary but I am in no position to tell you what to do.”

“ _That’s right. Get well soon._ ”

“Thank you. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Reid put the phone down and slumped on the desk. As far as he could tell, heats could only last one day and there were certain medications which could help suppress the physical symptoms. Reid knew of a pharmacy delivery service which might be able to order by tonight – he could possibly ask for an especially fast order. That would definitely be the best course of action.

Reid set to finding their phone number.

 

After they had spent a few tedious hours going over report details and evidence, Gideon took Morgan aside and said, “I wouldn’t ask you this if I could do it myself, but I have to go talk with some upstairs folk –”

“What’s up?” Morgan asked, not fazed by being asked a favour.

“Reid called in sick today and I’d feel better if someone checked on him.”

“You think he’s in trouble?” Morgan frowned, immediately more alert. He wasn’t Reid’s partner but he felt a certain responsibility for him – his alpha instincts had been shaken by the hostage situation, desperately wishing he could help Reid, and he knew Hotch felt the same. It wasn’t about being sexually involved with the young doctor, but it was a simple alpha reaction. Someone they cared for was being hurt, and they had a responsibility to take care of him.

Gideon shook his head. “I just think – he’s not quite fully recovered from the incident. I don’t feel comfortable leaving him alone and I need to make sure he’s alright. Can you do that for me?”

“Sure. He’s not far away and I can get lunch while I’m out. Want anything?”

“Nah, I’m fine. Thanks, Derek.”

The friendly pat on the shoulder from the older man made Morgan smile a little.

 

It didn’t take long for Morgan to get to Reid’s flat. He’d gone past a deli on the way and grabbed a few sandwiches and coffees, knowing the kid had probably forgotten to eat without being prompted. He’d made sure to get a double shot of espresso in the kid’s caramel latte. Morgan had known him long enough to know how he liked his coffee, and he knew the caramel was Spencer’s ‘treat’ flavour, the kind he had every now after a particularly rough day or if it was a birthday, or holiday. It was his own little reward, and Morgan figured if he was sick or under the weather he could use a pick-me-up.

When he arrived at Spencer’s flat, he saw a package at the door with a small ‘sorry we missed you’ notice from the deliverer – Morgan frowned when he saw it was a pharmacy package, with an ‘urgent delivery’ sticker beside the address.

Morgan rang the doorbell and knocked on the door loudly when he got no response. “Hey kid, wake up!” he called out, and when he looked up to see the open window of the second floor, he sighed. He was probably sleeping.

Morgan didn’t want to have to kick down the door, so he put the food and coffee down on the floor and found the spare key. Spencer kept it cleverly hidden quite far from the door – in the small garden patch by his door, a very real-looking fake rock held the key inside. Morgan opened the door and placed the lunch and parcel on the kitchen bench, before locking the door behind him. As soon as he had gotten away from the sweet-smelling beverage, he frowned. Something was amiss. Something smelled odd. It was very faint but it was familiar – and it stirred something in Morgan.

“Oh no,” he muttered, before hurrying up the stairs and finding his way to where the kid was sleeping.

Well, sleeping wasn’t a great descriptor. He was lying in bed, a sheen of sweat on his flushed skin, wearing only his sweatpants and panting heavily. The heavy scent of an omega in heat – strong and sweet, was much stronger in here than it was downstairs, and it had an effect on Morgan. An alpha with less self control would not have restrained himself from the writhing pale body on the bed, body waiting to be taken.

Walking over to the bed slowly, Morgan said quietly, “Oh, pretty boy. What’s happened to you?”

When Reid heard Morgan’s voice, he moaned. An actual, audible moan. His eyes weren’t open but he murmured, “Morgan.”

“Yeah, baby. It’s me. Gideon sent me to take care of you. Didn’t realise how bad it was.”

Reid’s eyes opened at that, and he repeated, “Take – take care of me,” in a soft and slurred voice, before he reached up and grasped a hold of Morgan’s shirt, pulling on it quite hard. Whether he was trying to pull himself up or pull his colleague down was unsure, but they met about halfway before Morgan could stop it.

And then Reid was close enough to press his mouth to Morgan’s neck and taste his skin, and he moaned again, Morgan’s name on his tongue. Morgan shuddered and let his eyes slip close for one small moment, before he took control again, placing his hands on Reid’s shoulders and pushing him back.

“N-no, Derek,” Reid stammered as he was moved away, and he grasped on tighter, long arms wrapping around Derek’s neck and shoulders, scrambling to keep him close. But Morgan was stronger than him on any day, and Reid was successfully subdued. At least, for a moment.

“Stay here, baby boy,” said Morgan, standing up. “I’m going to get your medicine.”

“No, no, no, Derek – Derek please, stay with me?” Reid had reached out to grasp Morgan’s hand, gripping tightly.

Morgan squeezed his hand gently before letting go. “I’ll be back in two seconds, Spence. I promise.”

Reid hesitated but nodded, letting his arm drop back to the bed. His eyes were so wide right now, his pupils dilated further than Morgan had ever seen. He was so far gone this had to be his first heat. He didn’t even think the kid was considered omega – most omegas had their first heat in early teens. How long had this been suppressed, waiting to emerge? What had happened to make Spencer Reid like this?

Morgan hurried downstairs to grab the parcel and rip it open, relieved to find the heat-control pills inside, grateful that Reid had the good judgment to order them before he was rendered completely useless. Morgan grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and ran back upstairs.

Reid was still panting when Morgan returned but his eyes were half-lidded now, lulled back into that half-awake state, desperate for satisfaction but unable to do anything about it. It was a well-known fact that only an alpha or a good dose of medicine would do anything to make the heat go away.

When he saw Morgan come back, though, he became more alert. He stretched his body out, arching his back and presenting his neck in a very common submissive gesture, trying to tempt Morgan into taking him. Obviously, his mind was flooded with chemicals that were clouding his ability to make the right decision. It was dangerous, to be this far gone in a heat. God knows what might have happened if someone other than Morgan had come to the door.

“Cut that out, alright?” Morgan said, the command gentle but serious. “I’m not going to be doing any of that, pretty boy.”

Just as he had set down the water and begun to open the box of pills, Morgan saw Spencer move and was too slow to stop him. The younger man had leapt from his place on the mattress to grasp Morgan’s neck and kiss him. Morgan was so taken aback it took him a moment to respond, and when he did it was very difficult for him not to kiss back. Placing his hands on Spencer’s biceps and pushing away firmly was so very, very difficult to do.

“I told you to cut that out,” Morgan snapped, feeling like his patience was being tested. When Spencer shrunk away at his harsh words, Morgan sighed, and said, “I – I’m sorry, baby. I’m just trying to make this okay for you. I want to take care of you and I can’t do that when you keep trying to – to do that. So I need you to do what I tell you, okay?”

When Reid didn’t reply, Morgan tipped his chin back up and stared into his hazy brown eyes and repeated, “Okay, baby boy?”

Reid nodded. “O-okay.”

Morgan smiled. “Good. You gonna be a good boy and take these pills for me?”

Nodding again, Reid moved slowly up to a sitting position, and Morgan tried to ignore how close he was sitting – close enough that his breath tickled the skin at Morgan’s neck.

Morgan popped two pills out of the foil packet and told Reid to take them, opening the bottle of water and passing that to him as well. He watched to make sure the younger man swallowed both, and made him take an extra few swigs of water to help with any dehydration he might be experiencing.

“See? That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” said Morgan, encouragingly.

“No,” Reid said quietly. He looked up at Morgan from under his eyelashes and Morgan felt his stomach twist, wanting so badly to kiss those sad looking lips and make his pretty boy feel good again. But he knew that was crossing so many lines, and he couldn’t do it.

“Now, you’re gonna be pretty sleepy soon, but I want you to eat something before you sleep so you can get some energy back, alright?” said Morgan, standing up to go get the lunch.

Reid panicked again. “N-no, don’t go –” he stammered, reaching out to grasp Morgan’s shirt again, arms wrapping tight around his middle.

Morgan tried to detach Reid without hurting him, as he said as calmly as he could, “I’m coming back. I’m not going anywhere, just to the kitchen. Ten seconds, alright?”

Getting away from Reid while he was like this was such a battle and Morgan felt like he was trying to train a dog, a restless and needy stray which had never been trained as a puppy. Getting him to do anything was a real battle – he could, of course, scare him into submission, but he didn’t want to. That wouldn’t be fair to Reid.

Morgan went back as fast as he could, carrying the food and coffee to the bedroom. He didn’t think that Reid would have many housekeeping rules about food in bedrooms and whatnot. If he did, they could clean up later. Right now Reid wasn’t going anywhere.

“Hey pretty boy. Got a nice chicken sandwich and a caramel latte for you,” said Morgan, and the way Reid’s eyes lit up at the mention of a caramel latte was simply divine.

“Really?”

“Of course. I’m here to look after you until you’re better. You need food, and I’m gonna sit here and watch you eat it all.” Morgan was dead serious with that one. The amount of cases of omegas suffering from poor nutrition or dehydration as a result of a wayward heat was ridiculous. If Reid was gonna make a full recovery, he would need as much nutrition as he could get.

Reid nodded again, and nearly drank the entire latte in one go once Morgan had given it to him. Morgan initially thought it was because he was starving, but when he saw Reid glance up at him shyly, watching for a response, he realised that wasn’t the case at all. Morgan had simply given Reid an instruction, and Reid was trying to please Morgan. He’d stopped trying to seduce him, and was now just trying to make Morgan happy.

Morgan figured that much obedience deserved a little reward. He smiled at Reid and tucked a stray piece of hair behind his ear. “That’s the way. You’re doing so well, baby boy.”

The way Reid pushed his cheek into Morgan’s hand was adorable, and very endearing. But Morgan knew if he did anything now, he’d regret it later. If Reid had wanted to be with him, he would have said something earlier. Or had his heat earlier. This was all just proof that Reid wasn’t interested. Right now, yes – but later on, Reid would regret every and anything that happened.

Morgan just smiled and said, “Get started on that sandwich, I’ve just got to call Gideon and let him know what’s up.”

“Don’t tell him!”

Morgan blinked at Reid’s sudden outburst. The kid had gone from being calm and submissive to panicked all over again. Frowning, Morgan said, “I have to tell him – and Hotch will have to know why you’re not gonna be at work.”

“I – I – I can be back at work tomorrow,” said Reid, voice shaking again.

“Uh-uh, baby boy. You ain’t going anywhere like this. A heat this late will take days to pass. You gotta ride it out at home, where you’re safe,” said Morgan firmly. “No work.”

“But you can’t – you can’t tell them,” said Reid desperately. “Please – they’ll know – they’ll know –”

Morgan sat back down next to the obviously very distressed omega. This was far beyond physical stress – this was something much more emotional, something that had Reid so paranoid he couldn’t forget even in his heat. “They’ll know what?” asked Morgan.

Reid said nothing, though his lips were parted, waiting for the right words.

Morgan stroked his hair again. “Come on, baby boy. You know you can trust me. I promise it’ll be okay. Nothing bad will happen.”

Reid took a moment but he swallowed his nervousness and spoke. “I – I’ve been – taking – D- D- Dilaudid,” he said, though it was difficult for him to say.

“You – what?” Morgan said, thrown off by the confession. “That’s what Hankel gave you.”

“I – I developed an addiction,” Reid said quietly. “It was only after – after a few weeks of taking it, I realised that a higher dosage would knock me out altogether, but – but – but a very small dose would – would – it makes me – it feels –”

All at once, Morgan understood. It made Reid feel hot. Got his rocks off. Made him wet. The fact that Reid could even get wet was fascinating in itself – had he never felt like that before? Had no-one made him feel good before now? “Is that why you’re like this?” asked Morgan carefully.

“I – no, no, I didn’t take any yesterday. I – I don’t know – I think it caused something. But – if – if Gideon and Hotch know I’m like this, they’ll know I’m still – that I –”

Morgan shook his head. “Nothing bad will happen, baby. I promise. If you think that Hotch would fire you for something like this, you’re wrong. He needs you, needs your clever brain on his team. We wouldn’t be able to do anything without you. And Gideon only wants what’s best for you – that’s why he sent me here, to take care of you.”

Spencer was hesitant but he nodded. “Take care of me,” he repeated, and his words were slower. Morgan knew that the oxytocin and serotonin in the drugs were making Reid sleepy, and would help him to relax, help take away the feeling of need, help satisfy him. Or at least trick his brain into thinking he was satisfied.

“That’s right, baby boy,” said Morgan quietly. “I’ll be taking care of you until you’re better.”

“Will – will you stay with me, Derek?” Reid murmured, eyes slipping closed before opening quickly as he tried to stay conscious.

“I’ll stay,” said Morgan, helping Reid settle down to the bed, annoyed that he didn’t eat all of his sandwich but knowing he would be okay, despite it all. “Just relax, go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Spencer murmured something else but it was incoherent, and not long after he was asleep.

Morgan sighed and slumped back against the mattress. Exerting so much self control was seriously taking a toll on his own body, and he felt pretty exhausted. But he knew if he fell asleep here, Reid might try to jump his bones all over again.

Trudging downstairs, he pulled out his phone and grabbed his lukewarm coffee, taking a swig before calling Gideon.

“ _Morgan_ ,” Gideon answered the phone. “ _Tell me good things._ ”

“Reid’s alive,” sighed Morgan. “But this is kinda – bad.”

“ _That’s not ideal_.”

“He’s going through heat.”

The silence that followed was heavy and uncomfortable. “ _Excuse me_?” said Gideon, finally. “ _Heat?_ _Did I hear you right?_ ”

“Yes. Going through heat. His first heat, I might add. I don’t suppose you know about his Dilaudid habit?”

“ _I had no idea that could cause this_.”

“Yeah, neither did Reid. I don’t think he would have kept taking it if he knew.”

“ _I didn’t even know – I thought he had gone through heat years ago._ ”

“All of us did. I don’t know what’s happening,” said Derek with another sigh. “I gave him some medicine and he’s sleeping now, but he won’t be good to work. I wouldn’t risk sending him anywhere for a week.”

“ _That bad, huh_?”

“Gideon, the guy is twenty five. Twenty five! He should have had a heat ten years ago, at least.”

“ _Alright. Are you okay to stay with him_?”

“I should be fine. If I think I’ve had enough, I’ll call you. You can try feeding him pills for a while.”

Gideon chuckled. “ _Thank you, Derek. I appreciate what you’re doing_.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll catch you later. Hey wait – what if a case comes up?”

“ _We can hire a bodyguard if we need to fly you out_.”

Derek didn’t like the sound of that but he agreed. “Fine. Catch you later.”

He hung up and placed the phone down just in time to hear a drawn-out sleepy moan from upstairs. Sighing and placing his head in his hands, Derek knew that this was going to be a long few days of omega-sitting.

 

 


	3. War

_And I see war on the screen,_  
 _And it is cruel and unclean,_  
 _But I still worry more about you_

When Spencer opened his eyes again, he felt better. Not quite one hundred percent, but at least he was coherent enough to sit up and concentrate. His memory was a bit hazy – he remembered ordering the medicine, getting back to bed because he felt weak – and then – what happened after that? What was –

Spencer heard the sound of the television downstairs and suddenly he remembered.

Derek Morgan.

Reid buried his blushing face into his hands. _Oh god oh god oh god. I kissed Morgan, I tried to get him to sleep with me, I made him uncomfortable, I was in heat and I tried to seduce Morgan_ …

At least Morgan was decent and had given Reid his medication instead of taking advantage of him. But Reid was overwhelmed with embarrassment. He could barely think of even having a normal conversation with Morgan now this had happened – it was all too much to take. Reid had never been the one losing control of his sexual urges. He had always been the one with the capsicum spray. Now it seemed he needed a dose of capsicum spray himself.

Reid groaned and pushed his hair back. He needed a shower. He was drenched in sweat and his hair was disgusting and the sheets would need changing. Sighing, he stood on weak legs and got to the shower, careful not to slip or fall at all. The warmth of the water was refreshing, and feeling clean again was a relief.

Reid was pulled out of his quiet moment by a knock on the bathroom door. “You okay pretty boy?”

Reid was a little thrown by the endearing term but replied all the same, “Y-yes, I’m fine. Just – cleaning up.”

“Alright. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

“I – okay.”

Though he was recovered, he was technically still in heat and would need more medication. And his lower abdomen was twisting and turning at the sound of Derek’s voice, at the thought of him coming into the bathroom and being with Reid in the shower. He blinked. He had never thought of anybody like that before. It was all too much. Reid went ahead with scrubbing himself clean to try keeping his mind off the problem at hand and distract himself from those thoughts.

The problem being that while he was in control of his body, he knew that he was stretched thin, and loss of control was mere inches away. He had to stay in control. He had to keep his head.

Once he was cleaned up, he got dressed in comfortable tracksuit pants and a sweatshirt. He knew it was far below his usual standard but he was dressing for comfort, not style. Morgan would understand.

Pushing his damp hair away from his face and putting his glasses on, Spencer wandered downstairs on still not-quite steady legs and made his way to the kitchen.

Morgan was at his side in seconds. “Hey, you alright?”

Reid jumped, not expecting him to be there so fast. “I – uh – yes, I’m fine,” he managed, though it was mostly a lie.

“Do you need more medication?”

“Probably.”

Morgan smiled at that. “I’ll say. You certainly know how to make an alpha feel like he’s wanted.”

Reid could feel his cheeks heating up and he averted his eyes. “Uh – yeah, about that. I’m sorry, I mean, obviously I wasn’t in control, my dopamine levels were out of whack and – and – and – I had no idea what I was doing. I just –”

“Hey, Reid,” interrupted Morgan, giving a shrug. “It’s cool. I know there was nothing you could have done – and considering you’re having a heat so late, you were actually pretty restrained. I thought it’d be worse than this.”

Reid watched as Morgan prepared him a meal using whatever was left in the fridge – last night’s Singapore Noodles, as it happened. Once microwaved, it were served with a side dish of medication and an electrolyte drink which Derek must have picked up for himself earlier, but he insisted that Reid take it. “You need it more than me, baby.”

They ate mostly in quiet, the afternoon television not making the best background noise for their awkward silence. It was only after Reid could take no more that he stammered, “Morgan, you don’t have to stay – I know that it’s a huge favour to ask that you take care of me, I think now I’ll be able to look after myself and I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to be put in this position, it’s – it’s not exactly fair on you, and I know I have made you uncomfortable and I –”

“Spencer,” Morgan said loudly, interrupting the nervous rambling apology. “Cut it out. I’m here for you, man, I’m not going to up and leave just because things get a little awkward. You’re going through heat, it’s bound to get a bit weird. But most kids don’t go through this on their own, and I’m here to make sure you get through it, alright?” He grinned. “Besides, I’m not going to take it personally. If you’d wanted me before, you would have known.”

“What?”

“An omega goes through heat when he finds an alpha who is compatible,” shrugged Morgan. “We’ve known each other for a long time. If I was a match, this would have happened a few years ago.”

“It’s not that – not at all,” Spencer said, frowning. “It’s just that I’ve spent so much of my teenage and adult life vehemently avoiding any sort of attraction or – or – or even acknowledging the possibility of a potential partner, that I had never let myself be attracted to anyone. I’ve simply never felt the same emotions. Even if I could see you were a perfectly attractive and compatible alpha I would never have acted upon it or experienced a heat because my body has been trained not to.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Until now.”

“Apparently,” said Reid, taking another mouthful of Singapore noodle to keep himself occupied, his brain churning over all of the information and trying to figure out how best to remedy this situation. How could he tell Morgan that he still felt something towards him, even out of the depth of his heat? How could he possibly tell his friend that being here with him had stirred something quite unusual in Spencer?

Luckily, he didn’t have to speak, because Morgan did. “Besides, I’m not embarrassed or annoyed at you for acting the way you did. If this had all happened – you know, normally – I wouldn’t have turned you down. I think I like the idea of taking care of you.” He gave Spencer another quick grin. “I’m kinda enjoying it at the moment.”

Reid processed all that and realised what Morgan was saying. Instead of replying, he murmured that he was feeling tired again – not exactly a lie – thanked Morgan for the dinner and made his way back upstairs to slump back to his bed and try not to think about all the strange emotions running through his mind. Emotions that he’d not let himself feel since he decided being with an alpha was bad news.

Why did Morgan have to bring those childish fantasies of a happy ever after back to the surface?

 

 

Morgan sighed and slumped against the couch. Being in such close proximity with Reid during his heat was taking a lot more energy than he could have ever accounted for. It would be much easier for them both if Morgan just fucked him and got it all over with but that was so rife with problems it wasn’t even thinkable.

Morgan had never been with an omega. He’d carefully avoided taking advantage of any person in this situation – he knew that the heat was not a choice, that omegas didn’t choose who to be compatible with. It was like being betrayed by your own body. Morgan didn’t want to cause someone grief and regret simply because they had been tricked into thinking what they were doing was the right thing.

Most omegas had medication handy for when a tricky situation arose. Reid had never been prepared for any such thing. What he’d said before about not letting himself feel attracted to anyone – that made Morgan a little distressed. What could he have gone through as a teenager which caused him to act that way, to ignore all of his emotions and basic nature?

Maybe if he’d known him a little earlier on, Morgan could have shown him what it was like to be treated right by someone. He could just imagine Reid as an even skinnier and smaller version of himself, awkward and gangling. What he wouldn’t give to sweep this guy off his feet – but Morgan knew that this heat had nothing to do with him. This was an adverse reaction to a drug, not a biological response.

Of course, now that Reid had gone through his first heat, he might go through another. It was perfectly reasonable for him to do so – omegas will go into a heat if they interact with a compatible alpha. But it wasn’t likely Reid would let this happen again. He was far too embarrassed.

Morgan smiled. Just before, when he was trying to apologise, he was so nervous. He was really cute when he was like that. If he’d never had a heat before, it would make sense that he’d never been in a sexual relationship with anyone – Morgan let his mind drift, wondering how Reid would react to being touched, being kissed, being treated right –

His thoughts ricocheted back to the fact that _Red had never had a sexual relationship with anyone_. Morgan blinked as he realised that Reid was a virgin. If he had been involved with anyone, whether he was repressing emotions or not, his body would have responded accordingly. But the fact he had never had a heat before now was a sign that he had never been in that situation.

Morgan groaned and he felt his pants grow tight. Reid was untouched. He would probably blush bright red once Morgan had him undressed, unable to form words once he’d started kissing Reid’s neck, unable to think as Morgan pounded into him and satisfied him…

Groaning again, Morgan shoved those thoughts far away and tried to distract himself with the television. He was not going to betray his friend’s trust and take advantage of him. The fact Reid still trusted him to stay was amazing in itself – Morgan wasn’t about to give up that trust.

No matter how damn much he wanted him.


	4. Rude

_And I am rude and unkind_  
 _Have no thought, and have no time_  
 _Have no eyes, so no point of view_

Clearing his throat and pushing his hair out of his face, Reid tried to concentrate on the files sitting on his desk. The place was fairly quiet today, which he was grateful for – he didn’t want to have to deal with the noise when he was working.

It had been a whole week since his heat. And life was altogether entirely different for Doctor Spencer Reid. He had gone from not feeling anything for anyone, to suddenly being acutely aware of every person. He was noticing all the smallest things about them he had never noticed before, feeling far more subjective about people than he ever did. He felt like his factual opinions were being clouded by emotion and his objectivity was slipping away.

Reid sighed and rested his chin in his hand, tapping on his cheekbones with his long fingers. He was so confused. It was so difficult to work – they had just returned from a few days in New Orleans, and being surrounded by so many alphas at the police station and the prison had made him very nervous, far more concerned for his wellbeing. He hadn’t felt so unsafe since he had been in college.

And it was all because of the heat. He had been perfectly fine for so long, not suffering from the negative consequences of being an omega, years of training his mind and body to do as it was told. Now it was like being back at square one.

And square one was keeping Reid up at night. He was feeling needy, in a way he had never felt before. The heat had brought to the surface years of repressed sexual desires and he was feeling overwhelmed by how much time he spent thinking of Derek Morgan.

Daring to glance over at Morgan’s desk, Reid wasn’t surprised to see him on the phone with a smile on his face. Probably talking to some girl he was taking out for dinner or drinks – he was always going out with girls. Morgan looked up and caught Reid’s eye – and gave him a small wink.

Reid turned away and tried to hide his blush. He was trying to convince himself that any attraction to Morgan was a result of his being there during the heat. But Reid was too often having dreams where Morgan was lying in his bed with him, and when he woke up alone he felt increasingly empty. He would almost say he was sad if he thought he was capable of such sadness.

Sighing, Reid decided it was time for a coffee. He needed something to keep his mind ticking, even if it was the awful-tasting instant coffee of the staff kitchen. With enough sugar, it could be made to taste like a warmer version of those flavoured milk drinks.

As he waited for the machine to disperse the coffee, Reid shoved his hands into his pockets and went over some of the information from the reports in his head, trying his best to get into a working headspace. His thoughts were rudely interrupted when another agent came into the kitchen and tried to make conversation.

“Afternoon,” said the other agent. Reid noticed the agent’s gaze drift down his body – that wasn’t a good sign. He could tell from the posture and his mannerisms that he was an alpha.

“Hi,” Reid said, friendly enough but for the fact he turned around and focused on putting sugar into the steaming paper cup of coffee.

“You’re that genius kid with the BAU, huh?”

It took him a moment to register that the other agent was speaking. Turning back, Reid said, “Uh – yeah, that’s me.”

“Spencer, right?”

“Yup,” said Reid, a little awkwardly. He made to leave when the other agent blocked his path. Frowning, Reid said, “I – I, uh, have to get back –”

The other agent gave Reid a smirk and said, “I think it can wait. I wanna talk.”

“I – I don’t think –”

“Why have I never noticed you before? I didn’t even know you were an omega til now.”

Reid took a step back. “Alright, you – you’re – you’re crossing professional lines and I’m going to have to ask you to leave me be –”

“C’mon, Spencer, I’m just making conversation,” the other agent said calmly, and a second later Reid was shoved up against the kitchen counter. He cried out in surprise, and the boiling coffee spilled across his hand and arm as it fell to the floor. Gasping, Reid tried his best to get his elbows into the other man’s chest, pushing him back, but there was an obvious imbalance of physical strength and it didn’t do much to deter the agent.

The other man’s face was far too close and Spencer felt like he could barely breathe. He swallowed and avoided eye contact, saying, “You – you’re hurting me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Let me go.”

“I like having you here. I think I’d like having you back home, too – have you down on your knees and –”

Spencer didn’t get to hear the agent’s fantasy as he was suddenly pulled back and thrown to the floor. Not being held up against the counter caused Reid to slip and collapse to the floor, his breaths suddenly coming short and quick and desperate, and he looked up to see none other than Morgan standing over the other agent, a fierce expression on his face, and when he spoke it gave Spencer shivers.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t cuff you and take you straight upstairs,” he growled.

The other agent coughed, winded from the fall, and pulled himself back to his feet. “I – didn’t mean any harm. Didn’t know he was yours.”

“He ain’t mine,” snapped Morgan. “But any decent person wouldn’t assault an omega, claimed or not.” A moment of silence passed before Morgan ordered, “Give me your badge. Take yourself up to admin and I’ll meet you there in five minutes. I don’t need to explain what will happen if you scamper.”

The other agent looked for a moment like he was about to refuse, but he then pulled his badge from the inside pocket of his coat, placed it on the table and left the room. Morgan was obviously the stronger man and it wasn’t worth getting into a fight with him. Spencer wasn’t sure Morgan would have left him alive if he had tried.

Once the man had left, Morgan turned and helped Reid to his feet. “You alright, baby?”

Reid frowned at the term. He still wasn’t used to Morgan calling him pet names. “I – I’m okay,” he managed. It was a lie, because his hand was burning something awful and blisters had already begun to appear.

Morgan sighed. “You sure know how to get into sticky situations, Spencer.” He gently unbuttoned Reid’s sleeve and pulled it up to reveal the burned skin and blisters of his wrist, and his hands were alarmingly gentle as he held him, looking at the damage.

Spencer could feel his fingertips drag along his skin, sending shivers all the way up his arm and down his spine, raising hairs on the back of his neck. His eyes slipped closed and he breathed out shakily, the feeling of Morgan’s skin on his causing all sorts of images to come to mind. Like having Morgan’s hands elsewhere on him.

When Reid realised what he was doing and opened his eyes again, he saw Morgan watching him. He could feel his cheeks begin to heat up before he had even said anything. This was almost as bad as having Morgan walk in while he was in heat – worse, in fact, because he was supposed to have control of his body right now. What was happening?

Suddenly, he realised. All other times Morgan had taken care of him, he wasn’t responding because he technically wasn’t an omega. But now, having had his heat, he was responding as an omega would. An alpha just defended him from a potentially dangerous situation, and he was feeling attracted to him.

“Hey, pretty boy,” said Morgan quietly. “You okay?”

Reid could feel Morgan’s hand trail up to his elbow, gently caressing the skin, and Reid didn’t know if he was doing it subconsciously. But it felt good. “I – I – uh,” Reid stammered, “I – think –”

Morgan was close enough to reach out and grab, pull close for a kiss, and Reid felt an overwhelming desire to do so. But he was nervous and unsure and all he did was shift forward slightly, slowly, lips parted and his nose just touching Morgan’s – he could feel Morgan’s breath on his skin –

And then JJ was at the door. “Oh my god, Spence,” she said, hurrying over. “What happened?”

Morgan shifted away without making it too obvious. “Another agent tried to attack him.”

“What?” JJ was appropriately shocked.

“Well, uh, I wouldn’t say it was an attack – he was trying to exert alpha dominance and didn’t take into account that –”

“Reid,” Morgan said firmly. “It was a sexual assault. He was trying to force himself on you.” Turning to JJ, he said, “Can you take care of him? I’m going to admin to file a report.”

“Morgan, that – that’s not necessary,” Spencer began, but Morgan gave him a look.

“Nobody’s allowed to touch our pretty boy and get away with it,” he said, before walking out of the room.

JJ agreed wholeheartedly with that. “He’s right, Spence. You can’t let someone get away with this.” Taking Spencer’s still shaking hand, she lead him to the sink where she told him to run it under cold water. Frowning sympathetically, she said quietly, “We might have to take you to the hospital, Spence.”

Spencer shook his head. “No, it’s not bad enough for a doctor. I just need some moisturising lotion – the skin will dry up – and a gauze bandage. Maybe some painkillers.”

JJ rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know you were a medical doctor.”

“I’ve done the first aid courses the same as you.”

“I’m teasing, Spence.”

“Oh – oh. Right. No, I’m not a physician.”

“Good,” she said, smiling. “Now we’re past that, do you think you’d like to see a real physician?”

“No.”

“Then at least take yourself home. You’re not going to get any work done like this.”

“Come on JJ, that’s not practical. I’m perfectly fine to work. I can write with my left hand perfectly well, I still have so much work to do and –”

JJ sighed, but it wasn’t a frustrated sigh. She was used to Spencer’s ramblings by now. “Spencer. Please, just take yourself home. As much as you try to admit you’re not affected by this, you went through a traumatic event just now. And you’re still in shock. Trust me, going home will be the best thing for you to do. Hotch will understand.”

Spencer wanted to argue but he knew he’d have to talk to Hotch about the situation, and Hotch wouldn’t let him stay at work. They were all so – nice, the people on the team. They didn’t have such high expectations of Reid, though he had high expectations of himself.

JJ found the first aid kit and helped Reid to patch himself up, and he was careful to cover the bandage as much as he could with his sleeve. It wasn’t the worst injury he had, but it was still throbbing painfully and he knew that it would be a hindrance. He let JJ lead him up to Hotch’s office.

She knocked on the door and Hotch put his hand up – he was on the phone. He indicated that they come in, and a moment later he had finished the call. “I’ve just been informed another member of staff broke codes of conduct and assaulted one of my team members,” Hotch said calmly.

JJ grimaced. “Afraid so. I didn’t see it happen, though.”

“You can get back to work, JJ. I’ll deal with this.”

She nodded and made to leave. Spencer turned and said, quietly, “Thank you.”

JJ paused, and smiled as though she were a little surprised. “That’s okay, Spence. Look after yourself.”

He gave a small smile but it probably seemed to be more of a grimace. She closed the door behind her and Hotch told Reid to sit. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

“No, it’s not that bad.”

“Should I book you in with a psychiatrist?”

“I’m offended by that.”

Hotch smiled, only a little. “I’m just following protocol. But – seriously, Reid, are you alright?”

Reid nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Of course. A little shaken up but otherwise fine.”

Hotch didn’t look entirely convinced but he let it go. “Morgan just told me that the guy will probably get a suspension.”

“Morgan probably wants him fired.”

“He probably wants him dead,” said Hotch, and Reid gave a small laugh. A small moment of quiet followed, before Hotch asked a loaded question. “Reid – is this the first time this has happened?”

“Yes.”

“What about outside of work?”

The silence that followed the question was enough of an answer. Hotch leaned forward and said quietly, “Reid, if you need a bodyguard –”

“I don’t – I don’t need a bodyguard,” Reid scoffed. “I have a gun. I can take care of myself. Besides, this sort of thing hasn’t happened for years. It has less to do with me and more to do with the other agent. He clearly has issues.”

“Clearly,” Hotch muttered. “Fine. You can take care of yourself. But right now, you’re going home.”

“Hotch –”

“Don’t argue, Reid. I know what’s best for you, even if you don’t think so,” he said, and Reid would have argued but for the slightest smile on Hotch’s face. He was teasing him.

Reid managed to smile back. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have a good night, Spencer.”

“Yeah – you too.”

 

 

Spencer collapsed on the couch when he got home. As much as he hated to admit it, JJ was right – at the time, he hadn’t been so concerned about the event, only with his injury. But right now, he was emotionally exhausted, something he never felt. He didn’t usually have enough emotions to get exhausted from. But he felt overwhelmed by all of this. It was like being thrown back ten years, being told he wasn’t strong enough to protect himself, having special school rules and being put in certain classes to keep him safe. Being told to get home before ten o’clock on college campus. Being told he wasn’t able to go anywhere without his phone.

It was all a bit childish, really. But Reid was feeling as weak now as he did back then, and it was all because of the stupid heat. It must have been something to do with the Dilaudid. Nothing else had changed. At least now he could figure out what medications he should be taking, and get himself back to normal. Normal being completely, totally asexual and not under threat because of his gender.

Unfortunately, there was one very significant factor that would interfere with complete asexuality, and that was Derek. Reid had never felt so attracted to anyone. In the kitchen today, when Morgan had come to his aid, it had given Reid such a strange sensation – he wanted so badly to fall into Morgan’s arms and stay with him. He wanted to take care of him, and be taken care of. But he knew that it wasn’t a possibility. He would have to go through heat again to make it so, and Reid knew that it wasn’t going to happen.

Sighing, he reclined to the comfortable, worn cushions and relaxed. He was sleepy. A mid-afternoon nap wasn’t going to hurt anyone. He let his eyes slip shut, and his sore hand hang down, almost touching the floor. He settled down and dozed off, running through various calculations and variables in his head until he couldn’t think any more.


	5. More

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowowowow getting through this so quickly. Hopefully my creative juices don't bugger off. enjoy! <3

_And I am more than this frame,_  
 _I feel hurt and I feel shame_  
 _I just wish you would feel the same_

Morgan was halfway home when his phone began to ring. He didn’t know whether to smile or frown when he saw it was Reid – was something wrong? Or did he just want to talk?

Answering, he said, “Hey pretty boy, what’s up? Making a full recovery, I hope.”

There was a moment of static before Morgan heard, “ _Uh – Morgan, hi. You – you wouldn’t happen to be doing anything tonight?_ ”

Morgan blinked. That was not what he was expecting. “Are you okay?”

“ _Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Really. I just – I wanted to talk, and I’ve got food and drinks here. I mean, you don’t have to, only if you want, we can talk some other time and I can –_ ”

Smiling, Morgan heard the nervousness in Reid’s voice. The kid probably wanted someone to keep him company after a trying day. “I might take you up on that. I’ll probably be over in about ten, twenty minutes. Sound good?”

Reid seemed surprised but said, “ _Oh! Yeah, sounds – perfect. See you later, then. I guess._ ”

“See you soon, baby,” Morgan said, before the line went dead. He raised his eyebrows, but turned and began driving back to Reid’s place.  

When he got there, he rang the doorbell and waited. It didn’t take long for Reid to answer, and he gave Morgan a small smile as he entered. “Hi.” He looked even more tired than before, if it were even possible, dark circles under his eyes.

“Hey,” said Morgan, smiling back. “How’s the hand?”

“Itchy.”

“Poor pretty boy,” said Morgan, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair back. “You had a rough day.”

Morgan was about to say something else when he paused. He could smell it again – the scent of heat. He stared at Reid who was standing awkwardly by the door.

“Oh baby boy,” said Morgan quietly. “Is it happening again?”

Reid nodded, and Morgan immediately stepped inside and shut the door, locking it. “How far along is it?”

Reid licked his lips. “It’s uh – not too far. I woke up feeling a little – dizzy, and uh – sort of how it felt before but not as bad.”

“Your first heat will always be the worst,” said Morgan gently. “This will still be a bit annoying but you won’t be nearly as out of it as you were last week. I can stay here and take care of you tonight, til it passes.”

Reid swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing on his slender neck. “I – I would like that.”

Smiling, Morgan stepped further inside the room. “You still got the medicine?”

“N-no, Derek –”

Morgan paused as he felt Reid grasp a hold of his hand, and he could feel the omega shaking. Turning to look at him, carefully watching his widened brown eyes, Morgan said, “You don’t have any medicine left?” He could have been sure there was more.

“That’s not what I meant,” said Reid, staring down. “I meant – I meant that I want _you_ to take care of me.”

Morgan wasn’t sure how long it took for him to comprehend that information – his alpha instincts were telling him to go ahead, to take the lead, to show Reid just how good it could be. But his brain was telling him otherwise. “Reid, just because I’m an alpha doesn’t mean I’m the one that you want.”

Frowning, Reid asked, “You seriously think that other guy was the one to set this off?”

“Baby, it could be anyone. It could be someone on the train, a guy standing next to you at the coffee shop. This doesn’t mean I’m the one for you.”

“No,” said Reid, laughing nervously before his voice grew tight, becoming frantic. “I – I know it’s you. It can’t be anybody else. Hotch is bonded and I haven’t interacted with anyone else. I – I can’t stop thinking about you, Derek, I – I haven’t felt this way before.”

Morgan felt so much sympathy for the younger man. He was experiencing something most kids go through at fifteen, only at twenty-five. He was falling in love with the first alpha to set off a heat, falling for the first alpha to take care of him, desperate for something he didn’t understand. For all his smarts, he was just a kid, not knowing what was happening to him.

Keeping eye contact, Morgan said calmly, “I’ll stay here tonight and keep an eye on you. You should probably take those pills before it gets any worse.”

Morgan saw a myriad of emotions flash across Reid’s face. At first distress, anger, frustration, sadness – he wasn’t sure how he should be feeling at all. And Morgan had never seen him so emotionally torn up.

“No,” he said, finally. “No, I – if you won’t have me, I’m not taking those pills. I know what I want. You don’t – you don’t understand.”

“Reid –” Morgan began to reprimand, but he was interrupted again.

“No! No, I – I refuse to take those pills. I’m just not doing it. And when Hotch asks why I’m not at work I’ll tell him that – that it’s your fault.”

Morgan sighed. “Reid, you can’t possibly expect me to believe that I’m your alpha. You have no idea what you’re supposed to feel. It seems like you’re just reaching out for the most convenient option. I don’t want to be your convenient option.”

“Then what do you want to be?” Reid asked, stepping closer. “Do you want to be more than that? Because I know I will never trust or care for or – or _need_ anyone the way I need you. I promise – I promise, Derek, please. You have to believe me.”

Morgan was running out of ways to say no. “Spencer,” he said, “I – I can’t. I can’t take advantage of you like this.”

Spencer only stepped closer, just as close as they had been in the kitchen earlier in the day. He was so close, he smelled so good – the faint scent of deodorant and sweat only just there, overwhelmed by his own natural scent, pheromones calling out to Morgan, asking for something he wasn’t sure he could give. Morgan didn’t move, not sure whether he should step back or push Reid away or grab him and pull him close…

And in his moment of hesitation, Spencer shifted, sweeping in for a kiss. It was timid and gentle – less of an imposition, more of a request. His lips barely moved, only pressing carefully, and he pulled back to check for a response, his eyes flicking back and forth between Derek’s.

Morgan still said nothing, fighting to control his alpha urges, and in that moment Reid kissed him again, dragging across Morgan’s lower lip, pulling slightly, trying to get Morgan to follow him. He gave a few more small, sweet kisses before Morgan finally kissed him back, letting his lips move, following Reid as he moved. His hand went to Reid’s neck and his fingers tangled in his hair, and Morgan groaned as Reid collapsed into him, their kisses accelerating from timid to tenacious in a matter of seconds.

When Morgan opened his mouth and traced his tongue across Reid’s lips, the younger man gasped and let Morgan’s tongue slide inside. It was hot and soft and his teeth were sharp, his flavour sweet – everything about Spencer was so wonderful it was almost like a dream. Spencer’s hands danced across Morgan’s chest, tugging at his shirt and sliding his palm down the hard muscle, desperate for friction.

Morgan felt like every vein was on fire, and his hands were itching to touch Spencer everywhere. He settled for lower back and neck, able to press their bodies together better, and the low moan that Spencer made was enough to make Morgan realise what he was doing.

At which point he placed both hands on Reid’s slender hips and pushed him back, pulling away from the kiss.

Reid was panting slightly as he stared at Morgan, looking confused, waiting for whatever was about to come next. He was obviously confused. Morgan had just kissed him. He wasn’t expecting to be told ‘no’ again. It didn’t seem fair, but Morgan knew that he had to be sure he was the one. And he wasn’t sure.

“You’re going to take those pills,” Morgan said. “And I’ll stay here tonight. I’ll even sleep in your bed if you want. But I won’t make you mine unless I’m completely sure. And right now, I’m not. You still don’t know how to make this decision, but I’ll do my best to help you.”

The look of abandon in Reid’s soft brown eyes very quickly turned to ice.

 

 

Reid knew the tantrum he was throwing was completely childish. On one hand, he was going through an adolescent experience, and probably could be excused. On the other hand, he was a grown man and this probably wasn't appropriate. In any case, he’d already thrown a book at Morgan, smashed a glass against the floor, and refused to respond to anything Morgan asked him. He felt like a child, and it was a fairly good feeling. Despite the fact he looked so young, he had always acted maturely, and he had never deliberately broken a glass on the floor. But when Morgan had passed him the drink and told him to take the medication, Reid had simply let the glass slip and shatter. That had kept Morgan busy for about ten minutes, cleaning up the small pieces of sharp glass from the kitchen floor.

It was very childish and selfish and would have been funny if not for the serious situation at hand. Morgan was trying desperately to get Reid his medicine before the heat got any worse and Reid blatantly refused. He had warned Morgan, told him that if he was rejected he would put himself through this just to prove to both of them that it wasn’t a mistake. There was no mistake. He knew he wanted Morgan and he knew Morgan wanted him and they would be perfect for each other – he hadn’t just called on a whim. He had laid out all the variables and thought over every single situation and he had gone back and forth over every small fact and detail and he _knew_ that it was Derek.

And Morgan had still said no. After all Reid’s deliberation, he didn’t anticipate Derek saying no. Especially not after that kiss – oh lord, that kiss. Reid had had kisses before, some chaste ones and some less than chaste, but nothing had ever felt like that. Nobody had ever made him feel such a rush, made the never-ending noise of his mind fall into quiet, made his heart beat like he was running a marathon, hammering like it was about to rip itself right out of his chest.

He _knew_ Morgan had felt that.

Reid had his arms crossed and his shoulders tight, sitting with legs crossed on the couch, body language closed and unwelcoming. When Morgan walked back into the room Reid avoided eye contact, when Morgan spoke to him he was ignored. Reid kept his eyes fixed on the television.

It was only when Morgan sat beside him did he acknowledge him with the slightest moment of eye contact. When Morgan put an arm around him, he wanted to lean into it – but instead he forced himself to stay away, body going rigid.

“Baby, you’re too tense,” said Morgan gently. “If you won’t take your meds, you’ll get sore.”

Reid said nothing, eyes turned back to the television. But when Morgan’s hands began to press and knead the tight muscles of Reid’s shoulders, he shook him off and stood up, saying, “Don’t touch me.”

Morgan raised his eyebrows. “Oh, so you’re talking to me now.”

“If you won’t be my alpha then you don’t get to – to – to do any of this ‘taking care of me’ nonsense,” said Reid angrily. “You either are my alpha and you look after me, or you aren’t and you leave me alone.”

“Those are very black and white choices, pretty boy,” said Morgan. “You ain’t thinking in greys.”

“I don’t want the greys.”

“So, all or nothing?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t do that,” Morgan shook his head. “I can’t leave you here if you won’t take your medicine, and I can’t just mate you to make you happy.”

“If you’re not concerned with my happiness, maybe you should have let that other man take advantage of me,” Reid spat. “Then I wouldn’t be your problem at all.”

He had left the room before Morgan could respond. He went to his room, changing into comfier clothes as he felt his body beginning to warm up. His insides were cramping and sore from being left unsatisfied, from being rejected, and his head was aching from all the battles going on in his mind. He wanted so badly to take the medication to feel better, but he knew he was making a point and he had to stick to his guns.

Collapsing into the bed, Reid sighed heavily and tried to sleep through all the hurt and the emotional turmoil. It was no easy task. He was tossing and turning for a few hours, groaning and grasping his lower abdomen every time it began to pulse, wanting so badly to be satisfied. He drifted in and out of slumber until the early hours of the morning.

When he woke to see Morgan sitting beside him, he didn’t tell him to go away. He felt his abdomen tugging and he felt so confused – he wanted Morgan so badly but he was so angry at him, and the emotions were all too much. Reid couldn’t remember the last time he had been so frustrated or upset that he had cried, and he had never cried because of unrequited love. The hot pins-and-needles feeling behind his eyes was followed by a rush of hot tears, overflowing and rolling sideways down his face to the pillow.

Morgan shifted, lying down beside Reid, and Reid didn’t push him away when he wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. He kissed Reid’s forehead and stroked his hair, and when he asked if Reid would take the pills, Reid nodded. He couldn’t stand it any more. It was just too much.

After he had obediently taken his medication and lay back down, Reid felt Morgan slide up behind him, wrap an arm around his middle and hold him close, back to chest, and he was warm. He was comforting. But he wasn’t Reid’s, and Reid wasn’t his.

“I just want you,” Reid murmured in his choked up, tired voice, the drugs beginning to kick in.

“I know, baby boy. I know,” Derek crooned, pressing a gentle kiss to Reid’s neck. “I’ll take care of you.”

They fell asleep like that, and Reid could imagine for a moment that it was real.


	6. More 2

_And I am more than these bones_  
 _I feel love, I feel alone_  
 _I just wish you would come home_

It had been two months since Reid had asked Morgan to be his alpha. And every week, for two months, he had gone into heat. The same time every week, the same symptoms, going home from work a few hours early. Or going back to the hotel room if they were on a case. Reid was growing increasingly tired of battling his own bodily functions – it was interfering with everything. Hotch was understanding and gave Reid the space and time he needed and never made unreasonable demands, but as kind as the team were to Reid’s situation, he was tired of it.

And he was tired of Morgan, too. Morgan still spoke with him and joked with him, teased him, worked with him perfectly well. And yet when they left the building at the end of the day, neither one said goodbye to the other, and if they did it was perfectly cordial and polite – nothing like what it should have been. Reid wanted to scream every time Morgan treated him nicely. It wasn’t fair, because every time he did it made Reid feel even more alone.

One morning, before Morgan had even arrived, JJ came up to Reid’s desk. He was expecting her to give him a new case file or something of that sort – she was liaison officer, that was her job. What she gave him was completely unexpected.

Reid frowned and nudged his glasses back up to read the flyer. “Traffic light party?” he said. “What – JJ, this is a flyer for a club.”

She nodded, smiling. Looking quite pleased with herself. “I know. We’re all going out – well, when I say all, I mean that Garcia, Emily and I are going, and you’re welcome to come along.”

“What does it mean by traffic light party?”

“They give you a wristband – glow in the dark thing. Red for taken, green for single and orange for anything in between,” she said, smiling again. “It’s a great way to meet people, and it’s not an awful club – there aren’t too many _really_ young people there, they’re all about our age. The music is good.”

“I don’t go to nightclubs, JJ.”

“C’mon, Reid. This is the first Friday night we’ve all been home for a long time. And besides, Garcia will never forgive you.”

“Ah,” he said. “The threat of Garcia’s hate is enough to make any man tremble.”

“Isn’t it though. Trust me, Spence. It’ll be fun. You might find someone nice,” she said in a sing-song voice, poking him in the arm.

He edged away from her poke. “I don’t want to meet anyone.”

“Since when is this all about you?” said JJ with a grin, and she had walked off before Reid could reply.

Reid frowned again and then stared back at the flyer. Was finding someone the best course of action? He was still on medication for his heat. If he could find someone to spend it with, it might make it easier. Contrary to romantic belief, omegas can be with more than one alpha over the course of their lifetime. There will always be one more or less compatible, better suited or more attractive. Reid wanted someone who was kind, clever and understood the time requirements and constraints of his working life. Also someone who despite their strength could be gentle and quiet, someone who could smile at his ramblings, someone who could put up with his quirks.

Just as he was thinking this, Morgan walked through the office and said brightly, “Morning, pretty boy.”

Reid scowled. He would go to the damn nightclub just to prove to Morgan that he wasn’t _his_ pretty boy.

 

Garcia was wearing her prettiest floral shirt and skirt combination, and even JJ had dressed up a little – hair down, wearing a bright blue dress and black crop jacket. Emily had a nice pink shirt and was wearing skinny jeans, hair tied back. Reid was still wearing the shirt-tie-sweater combination he had on at work, hands shoved into the pockets of his beige trousers as he glanced around, wincing a little at the lights. They had arranged the strobe lights to look like traffic lights – only a lot brighter and more offensive to the retina.

Their computer expert and resident party girl was in charge of drinks and when she came back to the table, she was carrying a tray.

“Oh dear,” said Reid as he saw the selection. There were several shots and four cocktails, two martinis, one a blue ice-drink in a tall glass with an umbrella, and one bright pink-orange with a sugar coating on the edge of the frosted glass.

“I think you mean oh _wow_ ,” said Garcia, proudly. “Two tequila shots each and a cocktail to get the party going.”

“I don’t drink spirits,” said Reid.

Garcia’s hand went to her hip and she raised her eyebrows. “You don’t drink anything, genius. And we’re going to change that, alright?”

Reid put his hands up in surrender and both girls laughed. “You never had a chance, Reid,” said Emily semi-sympathetically.

He was really quite bad at drinking. They had to teach him what to do with the tequila shots, with the lime and salt, and when he finally did it he scrunched his face up, and they laughed. “It’s sour!” he said defensively. “And – not that nice.”

“It’s not meant to be nice, silly.”

“And I have to have another one of those?”

“Later, if you want. Have the cocktail first,” said JJ sweetly, giving Garcia a look that said, ‘take it easy’. JJ was always a little more understanding while Garcia was always full-on.

JJ and Emily had the martinis and Garcia’s was something called a Blue Lagoon. Reid’s was the orange one, a Sex on the Beach as he was told. Despite the name, Reid was pleasantly surprised by the cocktail. “This is nice! I like this one,” he said. “I never liked cocktails before, but this is really sugary.”

“That’s why you got it,” said Emily, grinning.

Garcia piped up. “C’mon, Reid. You put enough sugar in your coffee for three people. We know you’ve got a sweet tooth even if you don’t admit to it.”

Slightly surprised, it took Reid a moment to smile back. He didn’t know that they paid enough attention to know that, and it was nice that they did. “Thanks,” he said.

“I am pretty wonderful,” said Garcia with a happy sigh.

Garcia, Emily and Reid put on their green glowing wrist-bands. Reid had wanted to get an orange one, saying that green made him too much of a target. Garcia said he needed the green one for that exact reason. JJ picked an orange one, saying that she wasn’t really looking that night, just there for fun and to spend time with her friends. Reid didn’t ask why – he knew she wasn’t quite telling the truth but he didn’t push it. She was his friend.

Reid smiled at the thought. He didn’t realise that he had that many friends. But the girls were, he supposed. They liked him. It was nice… He knew he was already a little drunk, his head not quite steady on his shoulders and his words getting a bit mixed up, but he didn’t mind. He was in good company, and he was having fun for the first time in a long time.

 

By the time Morgan got to the nightclub it was pretty packed. He had told Garcia he’d be there later, because he had to finish up some of his reports at work. He didn’t read nearly as fast as Reid and couldn’t get it all finished in time.

“Alright, chocolate sauce,” she had said. “But you’d better be there. I need a dancing partner _and_ safety partner in case I get hit on by the wrong sort of guy.”

“Is there even a wrong sort of guy for you?”

“Hey, not everyone gets a piece of the Garcia cake. This is strictly limited edition stuff right here.”

He had laughed and told her he would be there. And here he was. The lady at the door asked what colour he wanted, and he opted for green. Always for green.

It took him a while to find the girls. Well, girl – Garcia was already dancing, but Emily and JJ were at a table.

“Hey gorgeous ladies,” he said, loud enough for them to hear, giving a grin and a kiss on their cheeks. “How’s it going?”

“Not bad,” replied Emily. “Already had a few too many – you might need to haul ass to catch up.”

Morgan laughed. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll be up to speed in no time.” He glanced around, hands on hips. “Where’s the pretty boy? Decided he didn’t want to show?”

JJ shook her head, saying, “No, he’s here. Somewhere. He found himself a friend at the bar – over there,” she pointed.

Morgan turned and his eyes raked the crowd until he saw that familiar mop of brown hair. He was still wearing his glasses and in profile, with the light flashing behind him, his silhouette looked wonderful. Sharp cheekbones and pointed nose, well-shaped eyebrows and slender body.

Someone moved and Morgan saw the man he was with. Obviously an alpha. Tall but not much taller than Reid, tanned skin and dark hair. He was broad-shouldered, had a handsome face with a bit of lazy stubble on his jaw and chin. He spoke and Reid smiled, before licking his lips and talking, talking fast – explaining something or quoting something or offhandedly mentioning a statistic. And the other guy looked a bit surprised, but he wasn’t annoyed. He smiled, too, and a moment later, leaned forward to speak something into Reid’s ear.

And Morgan could see Reid’s lips part, his eyes go a little wide, his chest still as he held his breath. Morgan tried not to clench his fists as he turned and said, “I’m gonna get a drink. You girls want something?”

“No, I’m good,” said JJ, and Emily shook her head. If either noticed his change of tone, they didn’t say anything.

Morgan strode to the bar and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. While he waited, elbow resting on the bar, he turned to see Reid a few meters away and got a better look at the alpha he was with. Morgan couldn’t see anything bad about him – he appeared to be a perfectly lovely guy. But he was with Reid – Reid didn’t know enough about the world to start fishing for alphas. Wearing a green wrist band and all. Why he had even come here with the girls was a mystery but Morgan was getting a nasty feeling – not that anything bad was about to happen, but that someone was touching something that was his. And he didn’t feel like sharing.

Morgan paid the bartender and tried to shake the feeling. Reid wasn’t his.

 

Lucas was a very nice man, and not at all imposing for an alpha. Reid was surprised that he had managed to find someone who filled all his criteria. He was attractive as well, and fairly smart – he had a job at a law firm. Well-dressed, too, and rich enough to buy all of Reid’s drinks. Reid, on a whim, asked for another tequila shot, and Lucas made that two.

Lucas laughed when Reid’s face scrunched up again but said it was cute. Reid smiled back before wiping his hand on his shirt. The whole process was strange – the salt and lime seemed to have no real purpose but to annoy the senses. It was a little addictive, though. Like sour lollies.

Reid wasn’t sure when they had moved to the dance floor. The dance floor was a place he avoided like the plague because of his terrible dancing skills. Funnily enough, dancing with Lucas was pretty simple, because Lucas had his hand on the small of Reid’s back and they were mostly just swaying against each other in a very fluid way. Reid usually didn’t like being that close to anybody but this didn’t feel terrible.

It also wasn’t entirely awful when Lucas kissed his neck – marking him, as it were. Not officially, of course, but still an open invitation. If Reid were to accept, he should lift his chin and expose his neck. He read that in a book. It was commonplace mating. For a moment, he thought he should, but then he wondered if he was supposed to think about it so much, or should it just happen? Not knowing what to do, he opted out of doing anything. He smiled nervously and they went on dancing.

 

Morgan had left not long after that, saying he was tired. Garcia had pouted but he gave her a kiss on the cheek and that lifted her spirits. He said he would see them soon and to enjoy the rest of their night, got in his car and drove away.

He wasn’t tired. He was angry and frustrated and he was a bad friend. He wanted Reid but had missed his opportunity. He could very well fight off any other alpha who made a move, but that wasn’t fair on Reid. The kid should be able to decide who he wanted to be with, without any external factors.

Without being told.

 


	7. Heart

_My body's weak_  
 _I feel my heart giving up on me_  
 _I'm worried it might just be…_

Morgan sighed. He couldn’t sleep. He was pacing – getting up to the kitchen, going back to the couch. Going to the bathroom. Washing his face. Back to the kitchen. He was lost.

This wasn’t the first night he had been restless. It had been going on for a few weeks now. It didn’t help that he had to see Reid, go everywhere with him, work with him so closely and regularly. Didn’t help that he smelled like Lucas all the time, now.

It was a few days after that night Morgan had noticed the scent, only because he was standing in an elevator with him.

Morgan had frowned and stared over at Reid, who made an innocent expression. “Hey,” he said, clearly nervous.

“What’s that smell?” Morgan had asked casually, but with an unexpectedly angry undercurrent.

Reid feigned innocence. “Uh – what smell?”

“The smell of an alpha on you.”

“Oh.”

Morgan took Reid’s silence the wrong way and he’d laughed, but it wasn’t a warm laugh. “Didn’t think you were the type for one night stands.”

Reid was quick to reply to that one. “I slept in my own bed last night.”

“With your boyfriend?”

“I’ve never slept with an alpha. What makes you think I’ll take one home that fast?”

“You tried to take me home pretty fast,” said Morgan, knowing that the anger in his voice was mostly unjustified.

Morgan had been expecting Reid to be angry. But he had backed down, and said in a calm voice, “You – you’re different.”

Taking his hesitation to step forward, Morgan got into Reid’s personal space. “What’s so different about me, pretty boy?” he had asked, voice sweet but still with that undercurrent of frustration. It wasn’t like him to be so worked up. But he was on edge. He was exerting his dominance.

Reid had stumbled backwards and hit the elevator wall. He opened his mouth as though to speak but no words came out. Morgan knew, even when it was happening, that what he was doing was out of line but he couldn’t help himself. He stepped forward again, his chest brushing against Reid’s, close enough to smell the mint on his breath and the sweat on his skin. Reid had breathed in sharply, staying quite still, eyes flicking back and forth between Morgan’s nervously.

Morgan had taken a hold of Reid’s chin and lifted up, exposing his neck. Reid had resisted at first but after the initial shock he let Morgan do as he pleased, showing his pale skin and exposing himself, complying. Morgan leaned in and breathed in deeply, nose running along skin, and Reid shivered. Morgan could smell the other alpha. He growled low, under his breath, and felt Reid’s breathing quicken.

When Morgan placed his mouth to Spencer’s skin, he was marking him as his own. Nobody else was allowed to touch Spencer but him. His tongue darted out to Reid’s collarbone and he bit lightly at the juncture of his neck and shoulder, and when Spencer moaned it had only spurred him on.

He had known he was leaving marks but he didn’t care. His hand slid down to grasp Reid’s hip, pulling their lower bodies together and when Spencer thrust up against him Morgan smiled. It was all going wonderfully, they seemed to fit together so perfectly, Reid’s body felt so good against his own –

And then Reid’s hand was splayed in the centre of Morgan’s chest, pushing him away. Morgan knew that he could have ignored it – Reid wasn’t strong enough to physically shove him. But it wasn’t meant to be physical. It was bringing Morgan back to his senses, throwing a spanner in the works, forcing him to take a breath.

Morgan moved back. Reid was panting, his skin red and raw from where Morgan had marked him, blood vessels burst under the skin. He looked at Morgan – not up at him, not submissively. He was in control of his own body, but Morgan wasn’t.

It seemed like only yesterday Morgan had been the one pushing Reid away, telling him that he didn’t know what he wanted, that he was giving in to primal instincts and not listening to his heart. Now Morgan was losing to his animal nature. What a turnaround.

Taking another step backwards, Morgan had said, “I didn’t mean for it to go that far.”

“A part of you did,” said Reid quietly. “Even when you seemed so adamant about this being certain. About me knowing for sure that you were mine.”

The terminology – that Morgan was his. Not the other way around. It made Morgan realise how aggressive he had been just now, his alpha instincts getting out of control. That was a sign of frustration, of need. Of knowing Reid was an omega and not being able to keep or protect him. “I know,” said Morgan. “I know, and I was. I am, Reid.”

Reid cleared his throat. “You know that I want to be with you. But you have to come to terms with what that means. It means we have to understand each other perfectly. I can’t understand how you feel if you don’t tell me – I can’t read your mind, despite how hard I try.”

The elevator had made a loud and offensive noise to signal their arrival, and Reid strode out of the elevator without another word or backwards glance. Morgan knew he didn’t deserve either after the way he had behaved – he was no better than the alpha who had attacked him in the kitchen. Worse, even, because Reid should trust him.

Since then, Reid had come to work seven times with Lucas’ scent on him. It made Morgan’s blood boil, it was infuriating, but he had no business in Reid’s life. Not when he had pushed him away when Reid asked him to mate, not after he’d forcibly placed a scent on him. It wasn’t fair to Reid, and Morgan made sure to keep his distance as best as he could.

 

 

Despite having scrubbed at his skin the day Morgan had marked him, Lucas could still smell it. They had gone out for coffee, and he’d frowned slightly at the scent. Reid had apologised and said it was a misunderstanding – Lucas had shrugged it off, and chose to hold Reid’s hand instead of enquire further. Since the elevator incident, Spencer hadn’t spoken with Morgan outside of their professional relationship.

Reid had also stopped taking his suppressants, just to see if Lucas made him go into heat. It had been two weeks – Reid wasn’t sure if it was supposed to take that long or if his body was just reluctant to go through another unsatisfying biological process. But it didn’t come. Not when Lucas had taken him to dinner, when he’d kissed him goodnight. There wasn’t anything wrong with Lucas, and that frustrated Reid. If he was stupid or annoying or ugly there would at least be reason for the lack of chemistry. Obviously, Reid liked him, but it seemed like he was making a friend rather than engaging in romance or courtship.

It wasn’t that there was anything in particular that was wrong with Lucas. But something about the whole relationship wasn’t right. It didn’t feel like Reid was emotionally invested, at all. His body, despite being suited to the match, wasn’t reacting. It was frustrating and confusing for him and he didn’t know what to do to make it work.

Lucas didn’t seem overly surprised when Reid told him.

“You’re not – angry?” said Reid, confused. From what he knew about relationships, he understood that ending one usually resulted in emotional outbursts.

Lucas shook his head, and smiled though it looked half-hearted. “I’m not angry. I can’t be angry at you for the way you feel, that’s not your fault. I’m only upset that it couldn’t work out – you’re an amazing person, you know,” he added.

“I think you give me too much credit,” Reid muttered.

“You don’t give yourself enough,” Lucas said, smiling again. Reid was taken aback when Lucas grasped his hand, and squeezed gently. “I hope you find whoever you’re looking for.”

Reid didn’t smile. “Can we be friends?”

“Of course. And if you ever need a lawyer, you know where to find me,” said Lucas. After that, he gave Reid a kiss on the cheek and left his apartment, promising to see him soon, and making Reid promise to let him know when he found his mate. (“Just so I can make sure he’s good enough for you.”)

Reid wasn’t surprised at the way he felt. He felt a little lonely – after all, he did enjoy Lucas’ company. He was a lovely and intellectual person. But they weren’t compatible, or perhaps not compatible enough. Reid’s body had found the one person it wanted, and his instincts refused to shift their gaze.

He sighed, deciding to go get himself dinner, throwing on a comfy, thick cardigan and getting his bag from the kitchen bench. There was an Asian take-out restaurant a few blocks away, and their Char Kway Teow was the best for miles.

Reid wasn’t far from the restaurant when a car drove slowly past, before stopping a few meters ahead. He frowned but decided to ignore it, choosing to walk a little faster. When the door opened and two people, a guy and a girl, stepped out, he paused. They were looking at him.

When they came a little closer, he tried to give a polite nod and walk past. The guy, not much taller than Reid but significantly broader, pushed him backwards. “Where you going?” he asked, and his tone was mocking and unkind.

The girl said nothing, only staring at Reid with large pale eyes. She looked like an omega, but he wasn't sure.

Reid swallowed, feeling his pulse rise. “I – I’m going to get food. If you want money, I don’t have much –”

The man reached out and grabbed Reid’s collar, pulling him closer. Reid cried out and pushed back, but the man already had a firm grip. Reid realised what he was doing when he inhaled deeply – he was smelling him.

“I can smell two alphas on you,” he said, laughing. “Little bit of a slut, are we?”

Reid’s instincts were screaming out for someone to come save him, but his mind knew that neither Lucas nor Morgan were close enough to help, and since he was unmated they couldn’t sense his fear. That would have been of the most importance. Guys like this, known as ‘trackers’, search the streets for unmated omegas, who are worth unimaginable amounts in mafia circles and urban gangs. As far as Reid knew, there were no such gangs in Quantico, so these guys must be scouting for a New York gang or something similar.

Letting his logic and training kick in, overriding his instinctual reaction, Reid kneed the man in the groin. The man let go of Reid, whose hand went to his waist and pulled out his Glock. Stepping backwards, and focusing on keeping his breathing even and his hands steady, Reid said, “FBI, both of you lie down and put your hands flat on the ground.”

The girl ran away before Reid could stop her. Reid glanced after her as she ran, wondering where exactly she was headed, but decided that one arrest was better than none. Keeping his gun pointed at the man, who was already mostly on the ground, Reid said, “Hands flat, away from your body.”

The guy groaned but did as he was told when he saw Reid had a gun. Reid quickly patted him down and appropriated the revolver tucked into his jeans, as well as a switchblade in his jacket pocket. Reid pulled out his phone and called 911.

“ _Nine-one-one, what is your emergency_?”

“This is FBI SSA Spencer Reid, I have apprehended a suspected illegal omega-tracker and request backup. I, uh - I'm in plain clothes.”

After telling his location, officers were on the scene within minutes, having been on patrol only a few blocks away, and the tracker was cuffed and taken to the station. Reid let the officers do their job while he sat down on the kerb, finally able to take a breath. The adrenaline rush had taken care of most of the immediate panic, but now he was post-adrenaline the shock was setting in, and he felt his hands shaking. He wasn’t used to just drawing his gun so haphazardly, but he really didn’t have a choice. And to be fair, if Reid hadn’t, he might still be on the streets, hunting for other unprotected omegas.

Brushing himself down and convincing the police officers that he was fine and no, he didn’t need an ambulance, Reid watched them drive off. He’d given them his details in case they needed a witness, but he was sure the local PD had enough on this guy to pin him for something.

Reid pulled the phone from his pocket, turning it over in his hands, wanting to call someone. He didn’t feel safe, not as safe as he should. In all the years he had wandered around by himself, he had never been approached by a tracker or offender of any kind. Now he was full omega, he couldn’t afford to be so careless.

He called Morgan. He didn’t know why – it would have made more sense to call Lucas. He was probably closer, and more convenient. But Reid knew convenient wasn’t going to cut it.

Not that it mattered, because Morgan didn’t pick up. Reid made his way to the restaurant where his order was ready, and took a taxi home.

 

 

When Morgan checked his phone and saw a missed call from Reid, he wasn’t sure what to think. They’d barely interacted outside of work since the elevator incident, and even when they were working together, they didn’t really talk. Morgan had almost given up hope for any sort of relationship with Reid.

There was no voice mail left. Unable to ignore his curiosity, Morgan called back.

“ _Morgan_?”

“Reid,” Morgan replied. “You called me?”

There was a pause. “ _I – yeah, I did. But it’s not important._ ”

“It must have been important if you had to call me.”

“ _No, just – I needed you an hour ago, and you didn’t pick up. So just – let it go_.”

Morgan was unsure of that. What could have happened that Reid felt he _needed_ someone who had toyed with his feelings and rejected him? “What’s going on, Spencer?”

“ _There’s nothing going on_.”

“Why did you call me?”

“ _Because I – I broke up with Lucas. And then I was attacked by a tracker. And I forgot to ask for extra prawns._ ”

Morgan wasn’t sure which one of those to address first. “I’m coming over.”

“ _Morgan –_ ”

He got in his car and was halfway to Reid’s before he realised what he was doing. What was he doing? He was going to Reid’s to check up on him. Why? He wasn’t his mate. He had no obligation to him. And yet here he was, driving.

Morgan got to Reid’s in record time and hammered on the door loudly, offensively. He was about to turn and leave when the door opened and there stood Reid, dressed in his long-sleeved pyjama shirt and boxers. He rubbed at his eyes under the glasses and frowned when he saw who it was.

“Morgan?”

“I told you I was coming over,” he said.

Reid grimaced before stepping aside, inviting him in. “I suppose you did.”

Morgan waited until Reid had closed the door before speaking. “So, you going to tell me what happened?”

Shrugging, Reid replied, “I kind of already did. I broke up with Lucas this afternoon. I arrested an omega-tracker after he attacked me on the way to dinner. Now I’m eating.”

Morgan shook his head. “C'mon, Reid, it’s not that simple. What happened with the tracker?”

“He’s in custody. Being processed as we speak.”

“What did he do to you?”

“He didn’t do anything. I had my gun.” Reid was alarmingly calm as he picked up his plate and began to eat again.

“You pulled your gun?”

“What was I supposed to do?” said Reid through a mouthful of noodles.

Morgan sighed heavily, running his hand over his head. “Far out, Reid. You sure know how to get into bad situations,” he said. “How’d he know you were an omega, anyway?”

When Reid didn’t reply, Morgan turned to see his eyes flicking around, cogs turning in his head as he tried to think of a response.

“Don’t you lie to me, Spencer,” said Morgan firmly.

Turning away so he didn’t have to keep eye contact, Reid replied, “I, uh – haven't been taking suppressants.”

“You what?” Morgan exclaimed, stepping towards him so as to confirm that statement. Sure enough, very faintly beneath the strong smell of Asian cuisine was the vague, sweet scent of an omega. “Reid, what were you thinking?!”

“I stopped taking them while I was seeing Lucas,” said Reid, defensively. “I thought – I thought I’d go through a heat.”

Morgan was more than a little taken aback by this. It didn’t seem like Reid to act so carelessly, to stop taking his medication just to prove a point. “And did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Go through heat.”

“No,” said Reid, and he sounded annoyed. “I thought that I would. Lucas was everything I could ask for, it would have made sense. But every single time he was clever or funny or kind to me, I could only think that it didn’t matter, because I wanted your clever, and your funny, and your kind.”

Morgan could barely comprehend that Reid would still admit to wanting to be with him, especially after the way he had behaved. “I treated you badly, Spencer,” said Morgan quietly. “I don’t deserve to have you.”

“And I don’t deserve to be alone, or unhappy,” said Reid, matter-of-factly. “I asked you to be my partner, Morgan, not because I was desperate or because I was confused. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted. And I know, even if it was only for a moment, you wanted to be with me too.”

Morgan sighed. “I didn’t know I felt so strongly about you until I realised that I might lose you.”

 

 

Reid tried not to laugh but it was too difficult to keep a straight face. He didn’t know why the situation was funny, but the fact that Morgan had essentially been forced to reveal his feelings was just perfect.

When he saw Reid’s lips stretch into a grin, Morgan’s eyes went wide, and he exclaimed, “Hey! You better not be playin’ with my heart, Spencer Reid. Have you been experimenting on me? Using another man to make me jealous?”

“No, not at all,” said Spencer, but he was laughing. “It was a coincidence. Pure accident. But the results are fascinating –”

Something beautiful happened. Morgan grabbed a hold of Spencer, and kissed him. There wasn’t any hesitation from either side, and they kissed like they had years of practice, perfectly moulded to each other. Reid sighed into the kiss, weeks of frustration and confusion falling away as Derek held him close, groaned as he felt his tongue drag across his lower lip.

They fell to the couch, limbs tangled around each other. Morgan peppered Reid with kisses as he giggled like a child, trying desperately to defend himself from the playful attack. Derek laughed, deep in his chest, and pressed his forehead to Spencer’s, where they stayed until the laughter had subsided to a gentle hum.

Derek closed his eyes and brushed his nose against Spencer’s cheek. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come back to you. And that I lost my control with you, before... I’m supposed to look after you.”

“If you had admitted your feelings earlier it wouldn’t have happened,” said Reid. Of course Morgan had just experienced a small episode, but that was natural. He’d read enough about alphas to know the signs.

Morgan chuckled. “Way to kick a guy when he’s down, Reid.” He kissed under Spencer’s jaw gently. “You know, you’re the only one who has ever brought me back.”

“What?”

“When I lost control, and you put your hand on my chest,” he said, placing his own on Spencer’s. Though it was considerably larger on Reid’s small frame. “And you didn’t even have to push me. You just – brought me back.”

Frowning, Reid’s mind whirred away as he tried to make sense of the situation, but to no end. “What does that mean?”

“It means that we are good for each other.” Derek’s voice was even and calm, his eyes drifting down to Spencer’s mouth before moving back up. “It means that we can be human, despite our most animal instincts. That we love each other because it’s right, not because it’s convenient or because we can’t control ourselves. We didn’t let it blur, not once.”

His mind ticked over that information, back and forth, back and forth like a metronome, dissecting each and every word. One word in particular. A frown tugged at his eyebrows. “How do you know that this is love? I’ve never known – never had anyone else.”

Derek only smiled at that. “If you wanted to, you could have anybody. But when you needed someone, you called me. And I could have left you alone, but I came to you. Trust me, pretty boy, you ain’t gonna find someone who loves you more than I do. Not now, not ever.”

The words had always seemed quite strange to Spencer. He had told very few people in his life how he felt towards them, and had barely let emotion register for so many years. Admitting love seemed like such a leap into the dark.

“I don’t know it what I feel is love,” he said, nervous all of a sudden, feeling like he was holding Derek in the palm of his hand. “I don’t – I don’t know what it’s supposed to be. But I – find myself wanting you to be with me. And if I can learn to love someone – anyone – I think it would be you. Is that – okay?”

Derek didn’t leave. He didn’t get sad or angry. He smiled. “Baby boy, if anybody can teach you how to love, it’s me.”

“That sounds vaguely threatening,” Reid said. “Should I be concerned?”

“Nah. I’ll take good care of you.”

“Stay with me tonight?”

Morgan chuckled. “And tomorrow night, if you want.”

“I’d like that.”

 


	8. Lungs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEX  
> FUCKING FINALLY JFC  
> SLOW BUILD MUCH  
> WHO'S WRITING THIS ANYWAY GOSH  
> 

_My body's weak_  
 _Feel my lungs giving up on me_  
 _I'm worried it might just be…_  
  


He could feel it while he was asleep. His dreams were slow and hazy, a chaos of colour and shape yet sharper than any dreams he’d had. He knew what it meant before he had even woken, and when he realised, the colours all turned to different shades of red and he felt his chest grow tight.

When he woke, it was slow and his eyelids felt heavy. His skin was alive and the cool night air sent shivers through him. He could feel a light sheen of sweat on his forehead and when he shifted, his body seemed to groan. He felt it in the stretch of his muscles and his laboured breathing, the ringing noise in his ears and the pulse, deep inside his abdomen and in his groin, and it made him moan.

Derek was sleeping beside him. They hadn’t done anything earlier. They’d gone to bed with little more than a kiss (which still managed to make Reid want him quite badly) and some cuddling. Reid didn’t like to call it cuddling but he didn’t know a better descriptor – Derek had slept for a while with his arm draped over Reid’s body, holding him close, before they had both shifted and moved apart sometime during the night. They hadn’t done anything, really. After finally coming to terms with each other’s feelings, they had decided to wait until Reid’s heat hit before making it official.

It would seem that heat had hit a little sooner than anticipated.

“Derek,” Reid murmured, voice weak and not quite awake yet – but it didn’t matter. Derek shifted beside him, turning over in a fumbling, sleepy way.

“Spencer?”

“It’s – it’s happening,” said Reid, struggling for breath. He was still in control of his mind but his body felt far more ragged and desperate than it usually did during his heat.

Morgan was alert by now. “This fast?”

“I wasn’t – wasn’t taking suppressants.”

Leaning up, Morgan placed a hand on Reid’s neck to check his pulse. Reid knew that was what he was doing, but his body felt Morgan’s hand on his skin and sent fire through his veins. The noise that left his lips was a strangled cry, and his back arched, lifting from the bed.

Morgan ignored this. “Does it always happen this fast?”

Reid blinked, trying desperately to control his breathing. “I – I went into heat every week since I – since the first time,” he managed. “It was – always your fault. But – not with Lucas.”

His sentences were half-thoughts and hardly coherent, but Morgan seemed to make sense of it. Reid glanced up to see his dark eyes glancing over Reid’s body, his gaze hungry. Morgan wanted to touch him but he didn’t trust himself to, not just yet.

Before Morgan could make any ‘take your medication’ noises, Reid reached up to grasp Morgan’s forearm and said, “Derek – please. I know it’s soon but – but it’s for you. It’s always been for you.”

Luckily, Reid didn’t have to do any more convincing. Morgan leaned forward and kissed him, and when his eyes slipped shut, Reid saw colours all over again. Flashing, bright colours like fireworks behind his eyelids as his body trembled, his mouth opening and letting Derek’s tongue slip inside, his body opening and letting Derek take over.

Derek’s hands were calloused and hard but they moved so smoothly across Reid’s skin, pushing his shirt up to reveal his slender pale skin, heaving as he tried to get enough air in his lungs, writhing at the sensation of being touched. Reid hardly even noticed that he was moaning until Morgan began to kiss at his neck, and he could hear it aloud, not reverberating in his head.

Morgan paused to pull Reid’s shirt off altogether, and Reid took the chance to tug at Morgan’s undershirt, silently communicating what he wanted. Derek smiled and pulled his own shirt off, and Reid watched his torso and arm muscles flex as he did so. He was flawless, every particle, and his scars and tattoos didn’t take away from that. Reid let his eyes drift down the chiselled torso to the dark and inviting trail of hair beneath his navel. Morgan was alarmingly, ridiculously good looking and for a moment, Reid was breathless.

Until Morgan leaned forward again, kicking Reid’s legs open with his legs and settling between them, pressing their naked upper bodies together and kissing him again. Reid let his hands move up, his long fingers dancing up Morgan’s side, grazing against his warm skin. Morgan groaned but Reid could feel it, rather than hear it, vibrating through his chest, swallowing the noise with his mouth. Derek kissed back down his neck, biting gently at his collarbone, and he laughed softly at the way Reid’s breath hitched.

“Do you like that?”

“I – yes,” Reid breathed, not knowing what else to say. Of course he liked it. He liked everything Morgan was doing to him right now. He liked the way he spoke – low and deep. He liked the way his hands moved slowly, the way he kissed him, the way his body seemed to envelope him. But Reid could barely think straight, let alone process those thoughts and make words. So he left it at yes.

Morgan chuckled again, hot breath washing over Reid’s chest as he kissed down. “What about this?”

Reid wasn’t sure what he was enquiring about until Morgan’s mouth kissed carefully at his nipple. It was soft, and Reid was certain that in any other situation it would have been a gentle and dimly pleasant sensation, but in his state of heightened sensitivity it shot through him like electricity and his body responded accordingly, arching into the touch and moaning loudly.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yes – Derek, please –”

Morgan lifted his other hand to thumb slowly over the other as he said, “Don’t have to ask twice, baby boy.”

Reid could hardly think through the fog of pleasure in his mind. Morgan’s hands and mouth were doing unspeakable and alarmingly good things to him and he could barely think. Every kiss, touch and bite were sending Reid into a spiralling state of desperation and he could feel himself heating up. “Morgan – I need – I can’t –”

“I know,” said Morgan, moving up to kiss him again. “I know. But I’m taking this slow. Stay with me, alright?” When Reid couldn’t compose a reply, still dazed, he repeated, “Alright, Spencer?”

“Y-yes,” Spencer managed, “I just – I need you –”

Reid felt Morgan’s hands graze down his abdomen and settle at his hip, and his eyes slipped shut when Morgan’s thumb pressed down just above his pelvis at the soft flesh there. Morgan’s lips were at his ear and he asked, “Has anyone else touched you the way I am now, baby boy?”

“N-no,” Reid replied, shifting his face to kiss at Morgan’s neck, experimenting by biting gently at his earlobe.

Morgan’s response to that was a low growl and it made the pulsing feeling in Reid’s lower body grow stronger. He moaned and did it again, hands moving to grasp onto Morgan and hold him close, thrusting up against him desperately, wanting so badly to be closer to him, to let no air between them.

“You’re testing my patience,” said Morgan quietly.

“I’m impatient already,” said Reid, and Morgan laughed.

“Bossy,” he said, softly kissing his way back to Reid’s neck. “Didn’t know my pretty boy could be so pushy.”

“Derek, _please_.”

“I know, baby. I got you.”

Morgan made short work of Reid’s boxers and of his own, throwing them aside with little care. Reid could feel his erection against his inner thigh and he groaned. Knowing that Derek was so close but not quite there was infuriating. He knew he should be appreciating the moment but he wanted him so badly, it was driving him mad.

When Morgan’s hand finally slipped down to graze over Reid’s shaft, it was all at once blissful and maddening, just not quite enough. Reid whimpered and thrust up into Morgan’s hand, desperate for more friction. Morgan’s eyes were focused on his, watching for every reaction as his warm hand grasped Reid and tugged gently, experimentally. Reid moaned loudly, focusing long enough to let his own hand drift down and grasp Morgan.

He was warm and hard and it was all for Reid and that made it all so much better. Morgan’s eyes slipped shut and he pressed his forehead to Reid’s, kissing him again and biting at Reid’s lower lip, pulling upwards. Spencer’s breathing was uneven but he didn’t care.

Morgan shifted backwards so he was leaning on his legs, and he pulled Reid’s legs to either side of his own, spreading him. Reid felt the stretch on his inner thigh and groaned. He had never felt so vulnerable but he knew it was alright. He knew he was in good hands – very good hands, as it happened, because Morgan’s free hand had slipped down to Reid’s entrance.

Being an omega, Reid had all the necessary glands for self-lubrication, though he hadn’t known it until he developed a drug addiction. He didn’t need the drugs for it anymore, not now he had a partner. His body responded to an alpha by preparing itself, producing pheromones at the same time to let his partner know he was ready.

Derek’s fingertip circled his entrance, gently stroking at the sensitive skin outside, all while stroking Spencer’s cock. Reid knew his voice was tight and high pitched when he spoke, but he couldn’t help it. “Derek – Derek please, please, I need more –”

“Have you done this before?” asked Derek, voice low again, sending hot shivers down Reid’s spine. “Have you gotten yourself wet and touched yourself?”

“Derek –”

“Have you touched yourself, Spencer?”

Reid could hardly comprehend what was happening. It was all so overwhelming. “Y-y-yes, I – god, Derek, please –”

The choked cry that came from Reid’s lips upon being breached by Morgan’s fingers sounded distant to his mind. He could only focus on what Morgan was doing – what he was making him feel. Morgan’s finger slipped inside, intrusive and alien and overwhelmingly _good_. Reid pressed down into it, grinding onto Morgan’s hand.

“D-Derek –”

“You okay, baby boy?”

“More than okay – I need more –”

“Shh,” said Morgan, smiling, “I know. You’ll get more. I promise.”

Before Reid could ask again, Morgan slipped another finger inside and pressed deeper, curling up and causing the colours behind Reid’s eyes to explode into white. Reid wasn’t sure what he’d said but it might have been some sort of expletive because Morgan was chuckling as he lowered himself back down, releasing his hold of Reid’s cock to lean over him and kiss him again. “Somebody seems to be having a good time,” he said teasingly, doing it again, causing Reid’s body to jerk. “Have you ever gotten your fingers this deep, baby?”

“N-no,” Reid whimpered, pressing back onto Morgan’s hand. “I – I can’t –”

“Just you wait until I’m inside you,” Morgan said, almost growling as he spoke, kissing at Reid’s jaw. “Christ, Spencer – you’re beautiful. I could do this all day.”

“Is – is that the plan?” Spencer managed, voice shaking. “Do this all day? Take your time?”

Derek shut him up with another prod at his prostate. “Cheeky baby boy, talking back to Daddy,” said Morgan, tutting. “So impatient. So _needy_.”

“Derek –” Reid gasped. He didn’t know how Derek could still be in control of his body. It didn’t make sense to him. He wanted so badly to have Derek inside of him and he couldn’t think of any way to get what he wanted, so he was left writhing and whining and pleading with his large brown eyes.

That seemed to work. Derek kissed him, harder than before. “Don’t worry. I could never say no to you, Spencer.”

When Derek pulled his fingers out and lined himself up, Reid knew he was holding his breath. He was dizzy and hazy and nothing mattered but this, right now – being with Derek, being beneath him, around him, inside of him, drowning in him. When he slowly pressed inside, Reid let out the breath, unable to hold it, his lungs aching as he tried to calm his shaky breathing. He was stretched even more than before, and Derek was right – this was deeper than anything he’d ever felt.

When he was fully inside of Reid, Derek let out his own breath and said quietly, “Fuck – Spencer, you feel amazing. Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Spencer replied, a little too fast but not conscious of it. “Yes, Derek, God yes.” He felt his body warming up all over again, a new wave of feverish heat crashing over him as he was filled. He thrust up with his own hips, and gasped as Derek was pulled further inside.

Morgan groaned loudly, before taking a hold of Spencer’s legs and holding them apart. “God. You’re beautiful, Spencer,” he said, “So lucky you’re mine.”

Reid didn’t have to ask for anything else from Derek. He began to thrust, slowly at first, shallow and careful, but once it was apparent Reid didn’t need to take it easy, he began to pull back until he was almost out before thrusting all the way back in. Reid’s eyes snapped open and he cried out as the sensations sent him skyrocketing. The feeling was unlike anything else, unmatched and unknown and hot and hard and _full_ –

“Does that feel good, baby boy?” asked Morgan, and his voice was definitely a growl now. He was letting his alpha take over, his eyes dark, pupils dilated, hands gripping tighter as his thrusts pushed harder.

Reid couldn’t even comprehend what was happening – but he was pulled back when Morgan leaned closer and repeated the question, causing Reid’s body to bend further and sending Morgan’s thrusts directly into Reid’s prostate. Reid moaned loudly, desperately as he felt the pulsing grow faster and faster, his body heating up and tightening –

He cried out Morgan’s name weakly as he came, barely aware of what was happening as he fell apart, unable to do anything but thrust back and grasp with white-knuckled hands at the pillows and the sheets. If he’d been given a moment to recover, he might have been able to make sense of it all, but Morgan kept on thrusting into him, fucking him through his orgasm, and Reid whimpered, body shaking.

Morgan smiled breathlessly. “You’re doing so good, baby,” he said. “Fuck – I’m close, Spencer.”

Letting go of Spencer’s legs and leaning forward, Morgan began to pound even harder into him, losing himself in the sensation, groaning with each breath and each thrust. Spencer knew he was moaning with every movement, and everything was still alight, still on fire, every touch and taste and smell –

Morgan’s thrusts became uneven and faster, and Reid felt himself stretched even further with the shallow thrusts – something pushing into him – and then Morgan yelled hoarsely, hips stuttering as he came, emptying himself inside of Spencer. It felt hot and strange, but not unpleasant, and Spencer’s legs shook as he was filled, Derek’s knot holding him close, arms shaking before he dropped to the bed, falling on top of Spencer, his weight heavy but welcome, and warm.

Spencer accidentally whined when he tried to move his lower body, feeling Derek still inside of him, every particle sensitive, but not like before. This was a worn-out sort of sensitive, a wonderful afterglow, a reminder of what had just happened.

“We might be here a while,” said Morgan in a mostly breathless voice.

“That’s – perfectly – fine,” sighed Spencer, not trusting himself to speak just yet.

There was a moment of relative quiet before Morgan swore. “Fuck – fuck, Spencer – I – I wasn’t wearing protection. You’re in heat, I –”

Spencer realised what he was worried about. He giggled, unable to help it. Morgan shifted so he was staring down at him, a confused and worried frown on his face. “I stopped taking suppressants, but I’m still taking a contraceptive,” said Spencer tiredly. “I didn’t want to take any chances.”

Morgan almost deflated with the heaviness of his sigh, falling back down to lie on Spencer. “Jesus Christ.”

Spencer laughed again, and he let his eyes slip shut. He felt a strange warmth inside his chest, something other than an afterglow or a physical heat. It felt close to his heart. It felt like something that would swallow the nervousness in his throat or the sick feelings in his stomach, keep him comfortable in the cold and keep the bad thoughts away from his mind. It felt comfortable, and it felt close. Something deeper and more intimate than he had ever known.

“Do you feel that?” he asked, voice almost a whisper.

Morgan nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“Have you ever felt it before?”

“Nuh.”

“Does – does that mean we’re mated?”

“Dunno.”

“Your vocabulary seems to have disappeared.”

“Shhhh.”

Spencer giggled as Morgan kissed lazily at his neck. “It feels wonderful.”

“You feel wonderful.”

“Hey, that was three words,” said Spencer, before a yawn disrupted him. He felt worn out, now. Apparently going through a heat using a straightforward method was just as draining, if not more, than ignoring it altogether. He felt his eyes slip shut and he relaxed against the pillow, feeling tiredness seep into his muscles.

“I got another three words for you,” mumbled Morgan. “I love you.”

Spencer felt his heart jump, enveloped in warmth and he smiled. “I love you too.” He might have been worried before about not knowing what love was, but this couldn’t have been any clearer to him now. It was the clearest thing in the world, and it made more sense than anything else.

It wasn’t long after that Derek’s knot went away and he pulled out, before shifting to sleep beside Spencer, holding him close and warm as they fell into a deep and calm sleep, finally having found each other and found their place together.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eheheheheheheheh hope you enjoyed that, you dirty reader ;)  
> p.s. I know that this was all from Spencer's POV, but it all wrote really smoothly and I didn't want to disrupt it. Maybe I'll write the next one from Morgan's POV... I'll keep ya posted. Thanks for reading! <3


	9. You

_Something my soul needs_  
 _Something my soul needs_  
 _Is you, lying next to me_  
 _And it's you, lying next to me_

 

It didn’t take the team long to notice what had happened. If it wasn’t for Reid and Morgan arriving together at the same time every day, or the fact that they were interacting at work again, or the fact that Reid hadn’t suffered any negative consequences of a heat for a month, then it was definitely the fact they had a bond.

A bond was what joined mated partners together. Omegas were designed to be connected to their alpha, so that if any danger arose the alpha would know. Similarly, alphas were designed to keep tabs on their mate, so that if any other alphas threatened their partnership they would know. There was a bit of difficulty the first time Reid had encountered danger in the field. Morgan was checking out the crime scene while Reid and Hotchner were interviewing the potential suspect, who snarled at Reid for suggesting he was the least bit interested in pre-pubescent girls. He looked like he wanted to hit him, and might have had Hotch not stepped in to pacify the situation.

Morgan had dragged Prentiss away from the scene and raced to Reid’s location within minutes. Prentiss was pissed off and confused, but Reid saw Hotch raise his eyebrows, glancing between the two of them – he knew.

Once back at the local PD, he asked them both for a word. Reid felt his stomach twist as he realised what was happening – they were a mated pair on a team of FBI analysts. They weren’t supposed to be involved. One of them would have to leave. They’d be separated, the conflict wasn’t manageable on a team like the BAU –

Morgan’s hand on his shoulder was enough to stop his panicking. They’d followed Hotch into his temporary office where they sat down, and Hotch said, “I wouldn’t have to be an alpha to tell that you two have entered into a partnership.”

The silence that followed was thick and awful. Reid squirmed in his seat, trying to think of an appropriate response, before Hotch spoke again, saying in a blunt voice, “About damn time, too.”

“Uh – excuse me?” said Reid, genuinely confused.

“You two avoiding each other at work was awful. At least this way you’ll actually make eye contact.”

Morgan had laughed in relief and even Reid managed to smile through his sigh, all panic and anxiety leaving him. He had been so worried Hotch would separate them for good, but he was a good leader and he trusted them both to do their jobs. And he was right – they worked together better than anyone, and they trusted each other implicitly. Having the bond wouldn’t be all bad, either, if they could develop it further and learn to control it.

The others found out not long after. They were profilers, after all. JJ knew when she saw them holding hands as they walked out of the elevator. Prentiss spotted Morgan giving Reid a kiss at the airport, when he thought no-one was looking. They all noticed the way Morgan brought Reid coffee all the time, and they way they gravitated towards each other in the room. Garcia knew because she knew them all better than they could possibly imagine, and she didn’t need to say anything – just a knowing look towards them in the meeting room and a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows was enough to make Morgan laugh and Reid’s cheeks flush red.

Reid wished Gideon was still there. He was the one who had sent Morgan in the first place, to check up on him. Did Gideon know the whole time? He might have. He often didn’t tell Reid everything, didn’t explain himself properly. He might have known they were perfect for each other. Maybe, when they see him again, he’ll just smile at them and say nothing.

Gideon’s replacement, Rossi, didn’t seem to care much about their relationship. It didn’t get in the way, so it wasn’t a problem. He didn’t bring it up in conversation, and he acted the same towards them – cordial, but distant. Nothing had changed.

They had begun spending a lot more of their downtime together. They both found it almost unbearable to not be together after work – they practiced being apart because they both knew they couldn’t be together all the time. But as time passed, more and more of Reid’s books found their way to Morgan’s house, and Morgan had a drawer full of clothes at Reid’s house. Razors, coffee mugs, deodorant, socks, magazines, watches, CDs and eventually dog biscuits were all exchanged over a period of a few months. Clooney had himself a bed at Reid’s place and Reid had a bookshelf at Morgan’s.

Eventually, Reid moved into Morgan’s house. Morgan had a far bigger place, and he re-arranged the second floor to make space for all of Reid’s bookshelves and his desk. Reid had a few paintings and various instruments and an armchair which he brought with him – most of the other belongings were only bought for their practicality.

Morgan insisted on keeping Reid’s bed, placing it in the spare room. Reid didn’t want to keep it, saying that if they had Morgan’s they didn’t need two. Morgan argued that they had to keep it because it was the bed they had first made love in. Reid had called him annoyingly sentimental but relented.

 It took Reid a while to get used to Clooney. The retriever was overwhelmingly friendly and loving, and would bound at Reid with great energy and gusto and bark excitedly at him whenever he came over. Reid, not being used to the presence of an animal, soon accustomed himself to it, and he would crouch down and embrace the dog upon entrance, laughing when the dog tried to lick his face.

Any and all harassment Reid had been subject to as an unmated omega ceased altogether after they had mated. His pheromones had changed and he was left alone. Even in a dangerous situation, Reid knew he would be alright – he was a trained FBI agent. He’d proved many times he didn’t need anyone to protect him. That said, it was nice to be back to normal, not being harassed, only this time around he had a mate. That was definitely a plus.

Morgan found himself sleeping better at night when Reid was sleeping beside him. He hardly ever got up on the wrong side of the bed, and he knew he was feeling better, fitter, happier. He would get up and make breakfast for them both, smile at every one of Reid’s quirks. Sometimes he realised how much he was learning just from spending time with Reid, even if he told him to shut up every now and then, or kissed him into silence. Just being with the genius made him smarter, more understanding.

The first night they were living together officially, they had gone to bed and Reid had curled up against Morgan’s side without any encouragement, wrapping an arm around his middle and resting his mop of brown hair on Derek’s broad shoulder. They fit together.

Morgan felt himself drifting to sleep when Reid spoke. The kid never stopped thinking, even when he was falling asleep.

“Do you think we will always be this happy?” he asked. “I mean, I don’t anticipate being unhappy – but is this just a temporary thing, a burst – like an afterglow? Will it – fade?”

Morgan sighed, but it wasn’t an angry sigh. Pressing a kiss to Reid’s head, he replied, “No relationship is perfect. There’s gonna be speedbumps – but that’s all they’ll be, pretty boy. Just speedbumps. Just a slow down before we take off again.”

“Nice metaphor.”

“Thanks,” Morgan smiled, before Reid shifted closer to kiss him. His lips were soft and warm and Morgan could feel Reid’s eyelashes brush against his skin.

Pushing Spencer’s hair back from his cheek, Morgan stared up at him and said with a smile. “I think it’s high time you met my Mama.”

“Oh god,” said Reid, collapsing back to the bed. “Goodnight.”

Morgan laughed and held him close as they fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL that went for a lot longer than I anticipated but I am pleased with this! I am also pleased that I actually finished something that I started! Holy hell! Thanks dear reader for reading, hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Hope you all went and listened to Keaton Henson! Gosh, he's good.  
> I'm not sure if I'll write a follow-up or not, I'd really like to because let's be honest, I've already had the slow build and now all we need is more sex AM I RIGHT HUH more Morgan/Reid sexy sex is just what this universe needs yep. So, keep checking back in case I write a sequel, in which case they'll be put into a series together. (I make no promises, but this is what I want so it might happen.)  
> Anywhoosies, thanks again :)


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